2 baby RIR chicks ...recovered! :)

[2pyrs]

We've had them for two weeks, and I think they were about a week old when we got them. Up until about three days ago, they were fine - running around, making lots of fun chirpy noises...doing great!

Then, this. First the one, and now both of them. They seem too weak to stand up.

Anyway, I've turned off the heat lamp, turned the heating pad back on, and will shield the cage with some towels to keep out drafts. I hope it helps.

 

[ericsplls]

I think you really need to check the temp of your brooder. Chicks really don't need anything but starter and water. I have found with weak chicks it does help to add sugar to the water. It seems to give them a little sugar rush and the energy to get up and eat plus move around some. Sometimes they just don't make it no matter what you do with no clear reason as to why. Have you changed anything about the height of your lamp. If they are three weeks old you shouldn't have temp problems unless it's too hot. Then they should be huddled as far away from the light as they can get with mouth open panting. I would still check the temp. It's one of the things we have control of so it's an easy variable to eliminate. Is there a window that could be putting direct sunlight on them for much of the day? You don't have to take them out of the brooder to water them. Most of the time you can just dip there beaks in their waterer and they will drink. You may have to pick them back up and do it a couple of times. You say there feet are cold. There's no chance they are getting in the water and chilling is there, then laying under the lamp to get warm and dry off? If you have the brooder temp correct, clean food, clean bedding, clean water there's not much else you can do. Just keep trying to get them to eat and drink. If they eat egg better give it to them. Good luck.

 

[ericsplls]

Another thought that just came to mind is what are you using for bedding?

 

[2pyrs]

I have been using the clean shavings I bought at the feed store for the last 9 days; it's the same stuff that they use for the baby chicks when they come in. Before that, they were on paper towels. I do have a couple of paper towels on top of the heating pad.

The only other thing I can think of is that when my husband brought them home, he brought home a small bag of medicated chicik starter (it was in a thick plastic, resealable bag). About six days later, I found bugs in their food. I returned it to the feed store and that's when they gave me the Kruse medicated chick starter feed.

After my last post, I took a nap; without the heat lamp, they were both on the heating pad next to each other. One was on its side, legs tucked in and feet curled. The other was laying down, but upright. I picked up the one on its side and gave water from a dropper. The other one, to its credit, hobbled over to the food at that point, but the sicker one really showed no improvement without the heat - and their wings are still sort of held out a bit, so I'm not sure they were hot before. They are both breathing shallowly, and both keep their eyes closed mostly. The one who went to the food seems *slightly* better than before, but the other one seems worse.

ETA There's a small window in the room, but it's mostly been overcast today (we might get snow tomorrow) - it's definitely not been bright in there today, though.

 

[Chickengal505]

First of all, why are you giving them vitamins and who told you it was necessary? These are babies. ALL you need for chicks is simple chick feed and water. NOTHING ELSE. I don't care what anyone else says. I get sick and tired of reading oh give them this or give them that. Chicks will do just fine with out treats or something cuz people think they are toys. They are not kittens or puppies. As of this writing I have raised plenty of chicks and have only lost 1 and what ever was wrong must of been rare. It was fine one minute and dead the next.

So this is what you should have done. Give them chick starter and water. Nothing else. If it's not to late dump the vitamin water and give them just straight water. A small amount of sugar is good for newly shipped chicks but not necessary everyday thereafter. I suggest that you go to your local bookstore or public library and pick up a book or two on raising chickens.

Thats right I said Chick starter and water. Nothing else. I reiterate this for others who may read this post. I understand there are those who have given their chicks other things. That is their choice but other things are not necessary and definitely not vitamins. Chick starter has every vitamin they need and in the right amounts.

All the best

Rancher


SOOOOOOOOOO NOT true its important to give vitamans to young chicks...GRRRRRR i'm sorry i'm ill but still vitamans are important helps if you put them on game bird starter its crushed smaller and packed with protein! hope they get better...

best wishes Holly,​

 

[2pyrs]

After reading one of the recent threads on here (Hen can't use left leg), I'm wondering if it could be Marek's. I'll call the feed store in the morning to see if these babies were vaccinated.

This image looks a bit like the chick who's worse off, and although the other one is more capable of moving, neither have walked upright for several days. My chick isn't as bad as this one, but it seems less capable even of staying upright even in a laying position.

ETA NEVER MIND; I don't think it's Maret's.

 

[2pyrs]

Update, Monday morning, almost 9 am -

Both chicks are still alive, and in fact, this morning when I checked on them, both were awake. One was chirping and seems much stronger; the other one is still rather weak, but I look at it as a positive that both were awake (since the last three days, both were mostly keeping eyes closed).

One chick can walk normally again. The weaker chick was able to stand briefly, but it's still too much work to stay up.

I'll continue with the scrambled egg and offering water by dropper to the weaker one. I noted that when I picked up the weaker chick to give water, it was a bit feistier, and didn't just sink into my hand and fall asleep. It also took the water eagerly and kept grabbing at the dropper.

What I did last night was to move them a bit further from the heat lamp, but keep the heating pad on low. Neither were on the pad when I checked on them, so I will remove that today, and change shavings, too.

Thanks for all of the advice; I appreciate it! If things change...I guess I'll be back with more questions, but I can hope that we're past the worst of it.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I am having the same exact problem with a Silkie chick that I hatched and it is the same age. I don't know what to do now. I had fed it egg, but now it won't eat anything unless I open its mouth and put it in and then only some gets in and the rest sits in its beak. I even wet down the crumbles and fed it mush and it is just getting worse now matter what.
Good luck with your two. I just don't know what to think here. It is one of 8 Silkies and I have over 60 chicks, but I still would rather not lose any.

 

[2pyrs]

I thought I'd give an update for Monday evening -

This afternoon, I walked in and found the weaker one laying on its side on the plate with scrambled egg; legs were pulled up and feet were curled. Eyes were closed. I really thought it was dead, or close to it. I took it out, gave it water, and held it for a bit - it was trembling and oh, so sleepy. I finally put it back in the cage, right under the heat lamp. I called the feed store and was told that the chicks are NOT vacc'd but that the medicated crumbles should protect them. I went there to pick up some abx but decided against it, since none of the "indications" seemed to fit the bill.

I offered water again earlier this evening, and placed it near the eggs. It seemed so weak and feeble.

Five minutes ago, I went in to check - BOTH chicks are walking upright!!! Can it really be? I'm so thrilled, and hope we're past the worst of it. It's such a big difference from how bad they'd both been, but I am so excited that they seem to be doing so much better.

Minniechickmama, are you offering using a dropper to give water? I actually used a pipette from an (unused) chemistry kit I bought for my kids; you have more control over the flow, though a dropper or syringe would surely work, too. I switched back to the vitamin water (which has electrolytes) yesterday, and offered water about once an hour. After I'd do that, it seemed more able to eat the egg, too. These are my first chicks, so I don't have much experience. But I can tell you that all of this lasted for about four days, and if I hadn't given them water so frequently, I really think I'd have lost them both. I'll be thinking of your little silkie and hoping for the best... It's been awfully frustrating and disheartening, but if it's what mine experienced, it seems that there's a chance for recovery. I sure hope that's what we're seeing, anyway.

 

[Chickengal505]