Please help baby chick found cold and barely breathing on bottom of cage

[klmclain1]

I am so sorry...give your daughter and extra hug from me. Be sure to get the rest of them under a heat lamp in a space where they can move in and out of the heat to self-regulate their warmth. If they're under a week old, you need to try to keep the temp under the lamp at about 95, then you can decrease the temp by 5 degrees every week. Use a red heat lamp - a white light will stress them out as they'll feel like it's daytime 24x7. Take care...

 

[Aeropennchick]

This is very sad. Please read up on brooding baby chicks so this doesn't happen to any of your other little ones! There are only three things you need for baby chicks - food, water, and a heat lamp!

They should be kept at a constant 95 degrees the first week, and drop the temp by 5 degrees each week until you reach the ambient temperature.

Also, do not feed them anything other than chick starter crumbles unless you are giving them chick grit or they will not be able to digest it.

Looks like this was thrown onto you guys with no time to prepare. I hope things go better from here on out!

 

[shylinlilbit]

This poor little chick has struggled all day. I gave it some sugar water as directed I just hope it helps. My poor daughter is having a very difficult time with all of this. I'm doing my best to console her, but we both think it is just a matter of time.

 

[shylinlilbit]

Well we lost the chick. Sadly it was not strong enough to recover from being too cold this morning. We took it and buried it in a box in our front yard and placed a tire with a rim over the ground so that the ground could settle and animals could not dig it up. Faith said she would make a cross out of pottery in school to place on the grave once the ground is ready. It was a very sad thing for me to see her hurting, but she knows it is no longer in pain and is now in Heaven. The good news is that we had 3 calico kittens born today. One was born shortly after the chick passed and since calico is a sex linked trait (there are exceptions) we know it must be a female and agreed we would name it after her chick. So though "Honey" is gone her memory will be with us for a very long time. The calico kitten has light honey colored patches so it works out well. That helped to put a smile back on my daughters face. I want to thank each of you for your suggestions and all of your help. It is greatly appreciated and we will be keeping a close eye on the other chicks just in case.

 

[hkmcdermid]

I know this post is past, but if anyone reads it for similar help - DO NOT FEED THE CHICK WATER ONCE THEY ARE IN THIS STATE, THEY WILL DROWN. I rescued a baby chick for my neighbors because the mother had abandoned it in order to save her other chicks (the neighbors do not have a properly set up coop). After 3 hours, I managed to warm the chick to life, only to read this post then give the chick about 2 drops of water and have it drown and die in my hand. Even if the water goes into its mouth, it cannot swallow it fully because its too weak. I later read, by more informed people, that the chick would drown.

Prior to this chick, I rescued 2 other chicks that were in the same plight as the previous - nearly dead, ice cold, legs stretched out. I brought them back to life by keeping them on my stomach with my hand over them. Occasionally I would cup them in my hands and breath hot air into my hands. It took a few hours but they came back. I DID NOT TRY AND GIVE THEM WATER UNTIL THEY WERE ABLE TO SIP IT OUT OF MY HAND ON THEIR OWN.

I do not have the proper equipment needed to take care of chicks (nor can I afford it right now), but I have a heating blanket and reptile heat lamp left over from when my son used to have frogs. Still, the lamp is not as warm as it should be and there is no way to regulate the heat (heat needs to go down by 10 degrees each week). The chicks stay in an aquarium tank with fresh hay. I've kept the chicks in a pocket of the electric blanket, making sure to leave an opening where they can get out if too hot, and left the heat lamp in the corner of the tank. The chicks are always with me - I am constantly checking on them. You have to take care of them and be with them as much as you would a human baby. I'm also going and getting the (now older) chicks worms and stuff. Plus, I take them out for walks when it's warm. It's a lot of work, so I would not recommend getting chicks unless you have the proper equipment or are ready to devote this much time to them. You also have to work on getting things ready for when they're older... building a coop, with nesting box and roost, that can protect them from predators. Really, people shouldn't get farm animals until they have everything needed for them and have educated themselves on what to do. I'm so disgusted with my neighbors... think I'll rescue what survives and take them to the farm store. They've had dozens and dozens of chicks die - actually, none survive except for the ones I've discovered.

One of the older chicks (about 2 months) is so attached to me now that he follows me everywhere and cries when I'm out of sight. We should ask ourselves if we're prepared for this before going out and getting those "cute" pets.

 

[hkmcdermid]

Sorry, I should have said: drop the temp. 5 degrees each week - not 10.

 

[hkmcdermid]

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[Th0r]

I know this is well late but I just had a similar situation and thought i should share my experience.
I found one of our day old chicks had got out from under the mama hen and got stuck behind a piece of wood in the coop.

I was sure it was dead. It was cold and stiff when I found it after work.

I thought Ohh crap I have to try something to get it warmed up.

We have a couple "magic bags" bean filled bags that you put in the microwave to warm up to sooth a sore neck etc.

I threw them in the microwave for about 1 minute to warm them but not get them super hot.

took them out of the microwave and wrapped the chick in a dish cloth and put it on top of the magic bag.

after 10-20 minutes the chick started to move a little. I forced it to drink a little warm water. without getting any on its nostrils.

After a couple hours of heating the chick on one magic bag while rewarming the other bag to swap out. the chick was cheeping and trying to stand up and move around.

I figured it wouldn't survive the night. I plopped it back under the mama hen and 3 days later it is still alive.
I think it might be a little stunted, and who knows what other issues may arise, but it came back from the dead, so I think I might call him/her zombie if it survives.

So if you have a similar situation, don't give up trying to save a chick, they just might surprise you.

 

[freedom chick]

This is an old thread but wow, did it get me hot!
For future readers, please make sure you have your brooder plans together and brooder already warmed BEFORE you bring the chicks home. And they are not children’s pets until they are full grown.