Newbie has a possibly sick chick

[Madddawg]

After much research, most of it here, 6 days ago me and my 8 YR old went and got 8 chicks. 4 Barred Rock and 4 golden laced wyandottes. anyway. one of the Wyandottes Was a bit of a runt, I figured, whatever.. well 6 days later Its so much smaller then the rest and just lays there a lot more then the rest. Its not being picked (or pecked) on by the others that I can tell. It did have some dried poop hanging on that we clipped off, And I am pretty sure I saw it poop and I have seen it eat and drink, A little.
Here a couple pictures, the runt is on the bottom of picture

We are feeding it medicated chicken food, brand and type I don't know because we dumped it into an air tight container and tossed the bag.

Anybody got any ideas?

 

[MrsBrooke]

I'd give him a few drops of chick electrolytes and probiotics. As long as everyone is getting along okay and not picking on the little one, it's okay to leave him in for company and warmth. I'd double check his poops... just to make sure there's no blood or anything.

Where did you get them? Under what conditions were they kept before your brought them home?

You could also offer him some chopped up boiled egg. If he doesn't want to eat that, offer some raw yolk... He should gobble that right up!

Sometimes, we'll have a chick that needs a little more help than the others. In any case, touch his beak to whatever you're offering if it's wet, so he can get a little taste.

Keep us updated!

MrsB

 

[MrsBrooke]

Also....................

MrsB

 

[Madddawg]

Thanks. I got them at Rural King. They got them from a hatchery. After my post here i was looking at the flier I got from Rural King from the hatchery and saw a phone number and called them. The guy basically said the same thing you said. Thanks again.

 

[MrsBrooke]

Thanks. I got them at Rural King. They got them from a hatchery. After my post here i was looking at the flier I got from Rural King from the hatchery and saw a phone number and called them. The guy basically said the same thing you said. Thanks again.

Of course!

Let us know if anything else happens.

MrsB

 

[MrsBachbach]

After much research, most of it here, 6 days ago me and my 8 YR old went and got 8 chicks. 4 Barred Rock and 4 golden laced wyandottes. anyway. one of the Wyandottes Was a bit of a runt,  I figured, whatever.. well 6 days later Its so much smaller then the rest and just lays there a lot more then the rest. Its not being picked (or pecked) on by the others that I can tell. It did have some dried poop hanging on that we clipped off, And I am pretty sure I saw it poop and I have seen it eat and drink, A little.
Here a couple pictures, the runt is on the bottom of picture

[URL=http://i.imgur.com/YH0KKHM.jpg%5B/img]http://i.imgur.com/YH0KKHM.jpg[/img[/URL]]

[img][URL=http://i.imgur.com/wSA29Wi.jpg%5B/img]http://i.imgur.com/wSA29Wi.jpg[/img[/URL]]

We are feeding it medicated chicken food, brand and type I don't know because we dumped it into an air tight container and tossed the bag.

Anybody got any ideas?
[/QUOTE]


Some chicks are called "non starters" or "starve outs" and they stay very small. See this:

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/103/nonstarter-and-starveouts

I think besides the small yolk problem, that many chicks have problems with the chick starters out there. Many brands have kibble that is much too large for a chick that is only a couple of days old. In my area I've only found two brands that are small enough for a chick that small to handle and those are local brands. So, I suggest getting your rolling pin out and a plastic bag and milling that chick starter to a smaller size. Maybe the little fellow will eat a bit more then and at least stay alive. One other thing you can try is wetting their food and making a mash out of it. Chicks really seem to like wet food. I think they can digest it easier and with it being wet, they can easily swallow it
I usually make it a point when I hatch chicks to have a ziplock bag of more finely ground chick starter ready for them and sometimes I just crumble up some plain oatmeal right of the box for them and sprinkle it on top of their feed. They love it and it helps encourage some of them to start eating. If all your chicks are growing normally you can go back to the regular size starter in a week.