10 day old sleeping too much?

[5Leepy!]

Hi there,

We have 2 10 day old chicks and one seems to be sleeping WAY more than the other one. She seems to open her eyes only reluctantly when we pick her up and then closes them pretty quickly again. One eye seems to stay closed longer and close quicker than the other one. She's not really running in the brooder anymore, mostly strolling around if she walks at all. She's eating and drinking but not with the same vigor she was before. Pooping okay. Mostly sleeping standing up as close to the heat lamp as she can get. No visible swelling or any other issues.

Any thoughts? She's not seeming healthy to me anymore and I'd like to head off whatever it may be before it gets worse.

Thanks,
5Leepy!

 

[Happy Chooks]

What kind of brooder is the chick in? Has it been strictly indoors or outside some? Does it appear "puffed up"? Cocci can cause them to look puffed up, which is why I ask.

 

[5Leepy!]

We made a brooder last year out of wood and screen so they're inside of that and it's kept in the house. It's been too cold to take them outside for field-trips but we did put a little saucer of dirt in the brooder for them to scratch in. Their flooring is covered with wood chips and we also have a container of sand for them to use as grit. She does not appear puffed up, no.

I raised their heat lamp to see if that would make a difference... she complained for a bit but then settled back down and went back to sleep. She's as sleepy as ever. She even eats her food by only barely opening an eye just a slit to see where to aim and then she practically picks up a piece of food rather than pecking it, she's that gentle or lethargic (depending on the way you want to look at it).

Even when I pick her up she's sleepy... she'll complain a lot but mostly with her eyes closed. If I put my hand back in the brooder she'll stop complaining and fall totally asleep while still standing on my hand. She won't even bother hopping down and going closer to the heat.

We've raised chicks twice before but it was in groups of 4 rather than 2 like this time... I've just never seen a chick this sleepy before. It especially worries me because she wasn't sleepy like this for the first week of her life. We did notice she was clumsier than her "sister" at first but that was all... no other issues that we can see. Part of me wonders if she's gone blind in one eye or something.

She's a Buff Orppington if that makes a difference but I doubt it does.

Thanks for any help!
5Leepy!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Moving this to emergencies so you'll get more opinions. If you put dirt in the brooder, I'd probably treat for Cocci. (with Corrid)

 

[5Leepy!]

Thank you, Happy Chooks! I'll look into Cocci...

 

[5Leepy!]

I'm reading that Coccidiosis is rare in birds under 3 weeks old because of the incubation period needed. I'm also pretty sure that the dirt we put in the brooder with them was from a bag of potting soil but I have to confirm that with my DH. Any other ideas?

Her depth perception is off... I raised their nipple feeder because they've grown and she keeps missing the nipple now when she pecks at it. I'm not sure if it's because she's not opening her eyes much or if she's lost some sight. I did try wiping her eyes with a q-tip moistened with warm water but it didn't seem to do much for her except scare her.

I'm getting more worried... any other help out there, please? If I lose her, her sister will be by herself and it may be hard to get another chick her age to keep her company.

Thanks,
5Leepy!