2 week old chick looks sickly and not eating or drinking--suggestions?

[Jrtbarbi]

Hi, I decided to venture into having backyard chickens and it has been a struggle. I ordered 5 chicks online from CT and they were shipped and arrived on November 15th. 1 died shortly after arriving and 2 more died within 24 hrs. The remaining two looked good. I have them in my home with heat lamp on them. Today, the largest chick , the Rhode Island Red looked lethargic and "different" from the flock. Now, she is lying down more than moving about. Any suggestions? And, just FYI I got 4 more chicks locally cause I thought a flock of two was small.

Thanks
BJ in NC

 

[donrae]

My first thought is always that they're too hot. If they're in your home, in 70ish degree temp, they need a way to get out from under that heat. Try letting her cool off and be sure the food and water is in a cool area. Post back and let us know more about your set up--how large is your brooder, etc, what are you feeding them, has it been drinking.

 

[The Chickeneer]

Make sure the temperature is correct, and that they have water. Are they drinking? Make sure you are feeding them the right food, and that the brooder is clean. A lot of times mail order chicks arrive weak , and are prone to many sicknesses in their state of weakness. Make sure your hands are clean when you handle them, and don't breathe or cough on them. I hope the chicks get better. Good luck.

 

[Kim95037]

The ideal situation to have regarding heat is to have the brooder large enough so that the chicks can move in and out of heat on their own. I got some bantam easter eggers and I lost two out of the six right off the bat, I think the trip was too hard on them. Keeping them hydrated is really important. Hopefully you can get them to drink some water. Putting some electrolytes in their water might help too.

 

[Jrtbarbi]

Wow, I'm surprised that having them too hot could cause one to act sickly. The temp is 85 degrees. I am very conservative with heat in my house. My house is set for 63. The temp does go up in the day. I have them in a Rubbermaid container. I was going to transition them to the garage today. I did add to my initial surviving two chicks several days after my initial purchase. The other chicks lay together so I figured that the temp was ok. I give them a starter food. And change their water twice a day at least. Anything else I should do for her?