10 week old chick "sleepy" since hatched

chicky-little

Songster
8 Years
Jun 6, 2015
39
69
124
BC
I got 2 dozen hatching eggs from a breeder. 18 were chocolate laced orpingtons and the other 6 were Easter Eggers. We had just had a cold snap a week before and her fertility had dropped with her previous batch before mine. Out of the 18 orps, 8 were non starters and only 3 ended up hatching where 5/6 of the Easter Eggers hatched. The Easter Eggers hatched on time, but the orps took an extra days, same incubator. All 3 developed much slower (size and feather development) in comparison to the EE they hatched with as well as orps hatched from my own eggs.
One of those chicks has always been "sleepy". It does move around and eat and drink, but spends a lot of time with its eyes closed and moves slower than the rest. It's gaining weight on par with the other 3, but it's behavior is just so lethargic. Any ideas?
Supposedly the slow growth and what not is not typical of this breeders birds. Could the cold snap prior to laying have done something to the viability?
 
Are you supplementing with vitamins or electrolytes in the water? This might perk it up. Is the chick staying close to the heating source?

I don't think the weather prior affected the eggs' viability, but more the way they were stored both prior and after collecting.
 
Yes it's had poul-vit added to water and ACV intermittently it is 10 weeks old now so off heating source
Are you supplementing with vitamins or electrolytes in the water? This might perk it up. Is the chick staying close to the heating source?

I don't think the weather prior affected the eggs' viability, but more the way they were stored both prior and after collecting.
 
Do you have them in brooder with heat ? maybe nutri drench or save a chick.?
We kept them under heat longer than out other chicks but they have been off heat for about 2 weeks now and we have been having unseasonably warm weather. All the EEs went out of brooder at 6 weeks and had zero issues. All were hatched and raised together with same conditions and all EEs did excellent. The 2 orps are good but quiet in comparison to all my other chicks and it's just the one that has been sleepy.
 
Consider the possibility of coccidiosis which cause symptoms such as sleepiness, no appetite, standing around hunched or puffed up, weakness, and runny poops. Corid is at feed stores and can treat it. Dosage is 2 tsp of the liquid or 1.5 tsp of the powder per gallon of water as the only source for 5-7 days. Change it daily.
 
Consider the possibility of coccidiosis which cause symptoms such as sleepiness, no appetite, standing around hunched or puffed up, weakness, and runny poops. Corid is at feed stores and can treat it. Dosage is 2 tsp of the liquid or 1.5 tsp of the powder per gallon of water as the only source for 5-7 days. Change it daily.
My chicks were all hatched from clean eggs in incubators in my house then moved to brooders in our garage with no contact with other birds or the outdoors, so I think coccidosis would be unlikely. In Canada I dont think we have access to corid as the govt has regulated veterinary mediactions quite heavlily over the last few years and we require a vets prescription for most things now.
Poops are fine and it does have an appetite and doesn't seem weak. It eats and drinks and its growth has been pretty on par with the other 2. It runs around when it feels like it, just would be happy to be resting often. It runs to us for attention and closes it's eyes and sleeps once we start petting it almost immediately.
 

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