Peachick sleeping and not eating

[KsKingBee]

Thank you for the welcome, and I do own a food scale that I can get some comparison weights on.

I apologize if this is a stupid question, but for the Baytril I assume it be the 10% oral solution, and I'll try to find the KayTee feed, though I've never had to tube feed so any tips would be very much appreciated. I'm not sure as to if they were hatched via hen or incubator, they came from Cackle Hatchery (https://www.cacklehatchery.com/) so I assume incubated.

The Baytril I am referring to is the injectable given orally. I assume the oral would work but I do not know the dosage. Cackle is a reseller of peachicks so who knows from who or how they were hatched but most likely they were incubated. You probably don't need to start the cocci treatments until they are introduced to the ground.

 

[casportpony]

It's been my experience that they lose weight after hatch. I attribute this to them digesting their large yolk. By day six or seven mine are usually back up to their hatch weight.

 

[casportpony]

I assume the oral would work but I do not know the dosage.

It's the same.

 

[KsKingBee]

We use crop needles, for a chick that young you will need the smallest available. Check where you buy the baby bird food if they have any on hand. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2852432893...1291&msclkid=bce34c408a501a1c35e228809da16e79

 

[casportpony]

At 42 grams, I don't think there is time to order stuff.

 

[KsKingBee]

At 42 grams, I don't think there is time to order stuff.

That is why I said to check where they sell the baby food. The link is to show what to look for.

 

[KsKingBee]

An eye dropper can work in a pinch if you can find a small-diameter one.

 

[Rubyroost]

After calling every exotic vet in my state (Arkansas), nobody will be able to see the chick until late in the week, thurs/fri.
So I guess the plan is still the tube feed and Baytril

 

[Rubyroost]

After doing more searching, I dont think there's going to be a way to get any Baytril, or the generic, without it being shipped or prescribed.

I appreciate all of the advice, but it appears my only option is to just try to feed the chick with the baby bird food, and prepare for the worst.

 

[Waterfaery]

I hope you can find the supplies to tube feed. It is the safest and most efficient way to get the appropriate amount of food into a sick bird and it gives them the fluids they need which are vital as well.

In an emergency, if you can't source the right size tube quickly enough, you can hand feed the Kaytee baby bird feed direct to the beak. It's not as good as tube feeding and it takes a lot longer but it is an alternative safe way that can't aspirate them. It's a lot more doable with a chick than an adult bird due to the amount of food required.

You can mix it up to a consistency that's solid but soft and squishy. I've found that if you mix in some ground up chick starter and some raw egg yolk, you can make a nice consistency that's possible to roll into small pellets, about the size of a pea. Then it's just a case of gently placing them one at a time into the beak. I imagine you could do similar with just chick starter and egg but the Kaytee baby bird feed is really great and it has a lot of additional micronutrients and probiotics in there as well.

If your peachick isn't drinking, it's not ideal because the hydration is as important if not more so than the food. It just might be something to buy you some time while you source supplies.