3 day old chick - lethargic and droopy wings

[cluckingheck]

I bought a blue Plymouth Rock pullet from TSC yesterday and the poor thing was standing with its wings drooping. It moved around some, but would stay in one spot for the most part. I had to keep dipping it’s beak into the water ( the water has the durvet vitamins & electrolytes mixed in ) to get it to drink. It didn’t want to eat either, so I made a mash with the electrolyte water and put some in its mouth but this is the first time I’ve had to put food into a chick’s mouth. It’s way easier with a full grown chicken...any tips or ideas on what’s wrong with the chick? I think it might have gotten too cold on the trip home yesterday, but the rest of the chicks it came with are doing just fine and running around the brooder.

I’m attaching some pictures of its poop and of the chick. I have it separated from the rest right now

 

[azygous]

Do you have an eye dropper or a slender oral syringe? Give the chick some warm sugar water every half hour and be sure it can access heat. It might help if you warm a towel in the dryer, not scalding hot, and wrap the tiny thing in it as you give the sugar water.

 

[cluckingheck]

Do you have an eye dropper or a slender oral syringe? Give the chick some warm sugar water every half hour and be sure it can access heat. It might help if you warm a towel in the dryer, not scalding hot, and wrap the tiny thing in it as you give the sugar water.

It’s under a 100w ceramic heat lamp. It seemed to perk up after I fed it, but it’s still droopy and cheeping a lot where it had been real quiet.

unfortunately, I don’t have anything smaller than a syringe meant to tube feed lambs & kids.

 

[azygous]

Use a Q-tip. Saturate it with the warm sugar water and hold it to the right side of the chick's beak. Keep doing this as long as the chick slurps the water. Or dip the chick's beak in a small cup of the water, and hope it will continue to drink on its own.

Sugar water is key. It elevates the glucose level and infuses the chick with energy so it will eat and drink on its own. You can get an oral syringe from any pharmacy just by asking for a slender one for your sick baby chick.

In addition to the sugar water, Poultry Nutri-drench was formulated for weak chickens to get nutrients into their blood stream without needing to be metabolized by the liver. It acts on a chick immediately. You need to get some from your feed store.

 

[cluckingheck]

Use a Q-tip. Saturate it with the warm sugar water and hold it to the right side of the chick's beak. Keep doing this as long as the chick slurps the water. Or dip the chick's beak in a small cup of the water, and hope it will continue to drink on its own.

Sugar water is key. It elevates the glucose level and infuses the chick with energy so it will eat and drink on its own. You can get an oral syringe from any pharmacy just by asking for a slender one for your sick baby chick.

In addition to the sugar water, Poultry Nutri-drench was formulated for weak chickens to get nutrients into their blood stream without needing to be metabolized by the liver. It acts on a chick immediately. You need to get some from your feed store.

I gave the chick water using the q-tip before switching to dipping its beak in the sugar water again. It started eating on its own, so that’s good. I’ll have to continue watching it to make sure it’s doing the same thing with the water.

What do you think caused the chick to be like this? Combination of it getting too cold yesterday on the trip home or not figuring out how to eat or drink yet? Both?

I’ll try to get the stuff you suggested, but I don’t live in town. All I have on hand right now is the sugar water, durvet nutrients & electrolytes and durvet probiotics

 

[cluckingheck]

The chick started drinking on its own too!

 

[azygous]

What happened to your little one is common. Not all of the chicks you get were hatched at the same time. Some hatched very close to the time they were stuffed into the shipping carton, and were that much more vulnerable to shipping stresses.

Last year, I got four chicks from TSC that had just come in the US mail. By the time I got them home, a 45 minute drive, three out of the four were prostrate in shock. After the sugar water and Nutri-drench, all were running around and eating and drinking like normal.

You were very astute to catch this little guy before it went into a spiral. Some people don't recognize the signs of shipping stress until it's too late.

 

[cluckingheck]

What happened to your little one is common. Not all of the chicks you get were hatched at the same time. Some hatched very close to the time they were stuffed into the shipping carton, and were that much more vulnerable to shipping stresses.

Last year, I got four chicks from TSC that had just come in the US mail. By the time I got them home, a 45 minute drive, three out of the four were prostrate in shock. After the sugar water and Nutri-drench, all were running around and eating and drinking like normal.

You were very astute to catch this little guy before it went into a spiral. Some people don't recognize the signs of shipping stress until it's too late.

I know the employee that was getting the chicks for me said they had just gotten them in the day before. I saw some drinking and eating, but there was too many chicks to know if the ones I ended up getting were among them. It was dumb, but I didn’t think to watch them yesterday when I got them in the brooder. I think it was a combination of getting cold on the way home and not figuring out how to eat or drink yet. I had to keep dipping her beak in the water, but she finally got it when I put one of her flock mates in with her and she saw them drink.

I think she’ll be fine, but I’m keeping her in her own box for now. Thanks for the advice! I only have 2 hatches and 3 instances of dealing with chicks under my belt, lol. I’m still new to this, but I know they’re way more active than that and I had never seen them droop their wings like that before.

 

[Robeenop]

I know the employee that was getting the chicks for me said they had just gotten them in the day before. I saw some drinking and eating, but there was too many chicks to know if the ones I ended up getting were among them. It was dumb, but I didn’t think to watch them yesterday when I got them in the brooder. I think it was a combination of getting cold on the way home and not figuring out how to eat or drink yet. I had to keep dipping her beak in the water, but she finally got it when I put one of her flock mates in with her and she saw them drink.

I think she’ll be fine, but I’m keeping her in her own box for now. Thanks for the advice! I only have 2 hatches and 3 instances of dealing with chicks under my belt, lol. I’m still new to this, but I know they’re way more active than that and I had never seen them droop their wings like that before.

Believe it or not, you can get chick stuff on Amazon. I keep a supply of everything, and different meds in the fridge. Syringes in a couple sizes as well. You did good! I had a year old black bantam frizzled cochin fall in my dog's water bucket in Oct. My husband thought she was dead. I took her in held her, dried her with the hair dryer and put her on a heating pad. She felt like ice! Gave her electrolytes, and drench.She just laid there not moving. She is 3 years old now!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I know they’re way more active than that and I had never seen them droop their wings like that before.

Sometimes caused by pasty butt.. what to check if it returns maybe.

I have a couple infant medicine syringes, often provided by the pharmacy for free if asked, for future have on hand reference.

With little ones like this I face the beak toward the bend in my forefinger and let the drip from my finger just below the nostrils roll around and be swallowed by the chick instead of sipping beaks if needed.

Looks like you already got good feedback AND results even!

Congrats on your new babies!

Returning her to her crew sooner than later will HELP her thrive.. alone is never good.. it insights encouragement and healthy competition plus gives them others to mimic the behaviors of.. you've done great so far, so if you don't think you will see her slow down again if it happens, then YOU know best!