Two of my 3 day old chicks somehow escaped the brooder pen and got stuck out in the run. I found them last night when I got home from work. One had been pecked on the back and was bleeding. The other looked okay. Both were huddled together in a corner. The temps were in the high 60s yesterday and were still in the 60s when I got home. I tucked them both up under mama and they seemed to settle down.
This morning when I went out to let everybody out, the pecked chick is fine (up and running with mama and the others). The other chick was curled up in a ball under mama hen. When mama got up to go do her thing, the chick stayed behind. She did lift her head and cheep pitifully, but she made no sign of following mom.
I brought her in, dripped some warm sugar water in her and put her on a heating pad. I then noticed her vent was all pasted up, so we took care of that (once I got it clean she promptly pooped all over me). I have since pulled the brooder cage back out and set up the heat lamp. She is now in there with the pecked baby for company. I've been dripping warmed up chick feed gruel down her beak in hopes of getting some nutrition back in her. She can stand up now and periodically opens her eyes. Mostly though she hunkers down in the warm towel with her eyes closed and cheeps. I can't think of what else to do.
Y'all have any thoughts on what to do next? At some point fairly soon I need to go to work. I figured to toss them both in a plastic crate and haul chicks, heat lamp and all to my office. I though about stopping by TSC to see if they had anything useful.
As I have typed the two chicks have gotten quieter, but the weaker one is still not moving around. She just stands up kind of wobbling.
Help!
This morning when I went out to let everybody out, the pecked chick is fine (up and running with mama and the others). The other chick was curled up in a ball under mama hen. When mama got up to go do her thing, the chick stayed behind. She did lift her head and cheep pitifully, but she made no sign of following mom.
I brought her in, dripped some warm sugar water in her and put her on a heating pad. I then noticed her vent was all pasted up, so we took care of that (once I got it clean she promptly pooped all over me). I have since pulled the brooder cage back out and set up the heat lamp. She is now in there with the pecked baby for company. I've been dripping warmed up chick feed gruel down her beak in hopes of getting some nutrition back in her. She can stand up now and periodically opens her eyes. Mostly though she hunkers down in the warm towel with her eyes closed and cheeps. I can't think of what else to do.
Y'all have any thoughts on what to do next? At some point fairly soon I need to go to work. I figured to toss them both in a plastic crate and haul chicks, heat lamp and all to my office. I though about stopping by TSC to see if they had anything useful.
As I have typed the two chicks have gotten quieter, but the weaker one is still not moving around. She just stands up kind of wobbling.
Help!
