2 Week Old Chick Dying? Please Help.

[chukster]

We just had our first brood and out of 5 eggs Lilly was sitting on only 2 managed to actually hatch. The first one we named Alpha and the second one Bittie.

After the first week it was obvious Alpha was a tad different than its sibling. Alpha seemed to want to sleep every time it got still where Bittie didn't. It fed ok, watered ok , poop looked ok too, however, it seemed to hold its little head closer to its body than Bittie did.

This morning when we went to check on them we found Alpha laying just in front of the nest. It tried to squirm but couldn't get up. I got my wife to chase Lilly away as she was trying to protect it, but kept stepping on it at the same time.

I did pick it up and it couldn't hold it head up. It kept laying on its left side. I thought its neck was broke. I brought it up to the house and the only thing I could think of was to get a dropper and see if it would accept a little humming bird water we had on hand and it did and os of this writing at 2:20 pm CST it is still "hanging in ther. I crushed some chick starter with a mortor and pestle and dissolved it in a little hummer water a it accepted that from the dropper too.

We made a small nest in a bowl to keep it comfortable and once in a while it will try to get out of the nest and twice it has succeded, and has pooped 2 or 3 times.

I thought its neck was broken but once in a while it will shake its head so that makes me wonder about that. It still lays on its left side and once in a while it will open its eyes.

If anyone has any ideas we would certainly appreciate the input.

We hate to lose our "first" born after having our 2 buffs and 6 Rhode Island hens for 2 years now.

Thank up front for any help.

Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[sleepy]

put some sugar in the water and use the dropper this helps her get some electrolytes for energy this happen when i was raising my Buff Polish she would sleep all day gave her water every time i would see her move with in 2 day period and the next day she was eating and drinking with her siblings called her hope becuase i was hoping she woulnt pass hope this helps

Regards, Alex

 

[boogiedog]

If you have flavorless Pedialyte, that has good electrolytes in it; and some plain yogurt, a drop at a time may be helpful. I actually mixed some yogurt, cooked egg yolk AND pedialyte to hand feed one of my peeps. She was failing for a over a week... that was over a month ago. She is with the flock and going strong! Good luck -

 

[chukster]

Thanks so much for your prompt replies.

YOu mentioned the term "failing". Is that a term used to describe a particular condition or physical attitude of a young chick?

I take it that you (group) don't think the neck is broken and the way it is holding its little head is because it is ill?

Ok, we don't have any pedialyte on hand but I did find some locally produced honey and diluted some and added it to the hummer water and Alpha seems to accept it ok.

How long can it survive like this without solid food?

thanks again for your interest.

 

[oesdog]

You need to give it vitamins - USe Infant vitamin drops without Iron you can buy it at the pharmacy. Put some drops into water it will make the water turn yellow/green - Use the eye dropper to get it into the chick. Make sure it has Riboflavin as a lack of that can cause the chick to act like you discribe. Mine wouldn;t get up at all and now she is 13 weeks old and fine.
No I don;t think its neck is broken. It is very weak and ill. Do try the yogurt and egg it is very good for the chick and gives it the protine it needs to get well. Do make sure you give the water often so its not dehydrating and the vitamins should kick in to help it recover. Failing is just a term to say it is not thriving and doing as well as it should be. It just needs a little help. Keep it warm ! Also us group - BYC ha there are a lot of folk who will help here as much as we can.

Oesdog -

good luck.

 

[chukster]

Thank you so much....I am headed to the pharmacy as soon as I post this.!!

Thanks again........you made me and my wife smile.

Will post results as it gets better!

 

[boogiedog]

What I found was a good way to get the yolk/yogurt/pedialyte mixture in her was to mix it thick so you can get a little glob on a toothpick. I would then put the glob near her beak where she could she it. At first she did nothing - I had to poke her beak a bit and sometimes make the glob stick - then she would open up and eat it. After a day or two she'd see the toothpick and glob coming and go for it! I would definitely get some yolk/yogurt into her as well - she needs the protein as well as the energy/vitamins.

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
Please also know that some chicks don;t do so well no matter how much you try or that you do all the right things. - sometimes you do all the wrong things and for some reason they thrive. Other times no matter what they don;t . Be prepared - we all hope this little one pulls through for you guys! Make sure the vitamin drops DO NOT HAVE IRON!

Oesdog -

 

[chukster]

Ok, I did microwave a couple of yolks, pulverized them pretty, added a little pedialyte, with the infant vitamins (w/o Iron), and some plain Yogert and true enough it was a little thick so I diluted it with a little more Pedialyte and hummer water and Yogert. I think I remember somewhere that diluted milk products are good for them but not full strength, etc.

Alpha does tolerate me poking the dropper at her and will smack smack smack, but her little eyes are still closed but she will let me kow when I have aggravated her by chirping and wiggling until I quit.

So, right now we do have hope for our "first born".

A couple of questions for this huge knowledge base of caring folks.

1. Do we need to try to feed her during the night?

2. Keeping her warm...how warm is warm? Do we put her in an un-airconditioned room or leave her nest we made on the kitchen floor just in case she pops out of her nest.

thanks again!!

 

[Sweetpeaswan]

I think what some folks were trying to explain is FTT (failure to thrive) some just don't make it, survival of the fittest.
Your taking xtra care and hopefully it will work out for you, but if not...don't beat yourself up.