3 week old chick not growing much and breathing hard

[HarmonyFox]

Ok so I have a 3 week old mille fleur d'uccle chick. I got it from TSC when it was probably 3 days old or younger. It was always the stronger bantam I had for the first week but then it really fell behind. One day I found it tipped over with a crop full of water but we got it right side up and held it and it got better fast. It's 3 weeks old, pushing 4, now and it always seems like its breathing hard. It sleeps alot but it still has some energy when it wakes up and will be moving around with everyone else eating and drinking. No one picks on it even when it was with the bigger chicks. They all just acepted it and cuddled it. But it hasn't grown much in the past three weeks. The only thing that has grown are it's wing feathers. It has some back feathers but its tail feathers are growing in horible and are really skinny. I thought maybe it was actually getting bullied but it's been away from the big ones and has been by its self or playing mommy to the baby chicks and the feathers really seem like they're growing in as weird sticks. I'd really love to help this chick because it seems it really has a fighting spirit especially because it was in my brooder that got tipped over while I was out if town and it was the only bantam that was smart and stayed in the tipped box and survived. (I only had 3 bantam's in total in the box with biger chicks they grew up with so all in all the losses were very minimum but it was still sad.) Some more background of the chick, it almost never has diarrhea and or any kind of runny stool, always solid. It will easily get too hot and start panting if I have a heat lamp on it, therefore with it I would just let the big ones warm it and now that its with the young ones I have a heat pad wall on one side and the heat lamp not pointed on them much but enough to warm the younger ones. It's hard to get the temp just right when some act like it's the dead of winter and the others act like it's the Sahara Desert. I was feeding it 20% grower starter but now it's going to be on a higher protein food because I have two 3 day old turkeys with it and also to try and help its pitiful feather situation. I also feed kelp and would every now and then use the save a chick probiotics and electrolytes when it seemed really down but since its with the young babies now it'll be getting them more often now if not all the time. I got a gold sebright chick to try and find a baby that would be its size but it's the same size if not a little bigger and its younger! I guess the chick could have been there for 3 weeks but some how I doubt that because they usually all get bought in 2 weeks tops. I'm really lost when it comes to this chick. It's the only one who has had so much trouble and not died in a day. I just want it to live. Its name is Marvel. I hope I'm just crazy and this is how these chickens grow, like a weird stage or something. Sorry this was so long but here are some pictures of the baby.

This is when I first got it,

This is 9 days later,

3 days after that sleeping in its food,

This is a video of it breathing Wednesday.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1760084870714815

And these are pictures from today. It got a bath last night before everyone went to bed because it was pretty dingy,

 

[Eggcessive]

It’s hard to know exactly what is going on with the mille fleur chick, but she does look to be breathing hard. Do you use a thermometer in your brooder to check the temps? She could be too warm. It sounds like you have exposed her to a lot of different age birds and even turkey poults. Coccidiosis might be a possibility for her struggling to gain weight, especially with multiple age birds, since older birds can contaminate young ones before they are tolerant of cocci.

But another possibility is mold which can cause brooder pneumonia (aspergillosis.) I might start some Corid (amprollium) in the water for 5-7 days in case of coccidiosis. Then mix up a little plain yogurt with water in a small cup of feed for probiotics. If you do not give the Corid, I would give her a few drops of Poultry NutriDrench daily for a boost. Make sure that the bedding is stirred and kept dry and clean, and add new often.

 

[HarmonyFox]

It’s hard to know exactly what is going on with the mille fleur chick, but she does look to be breathing hard. Do you use a thermometer in your brooder to check the temps? She could be too warm. It sounds like you have exposed her to a lot of different age birds and even turkey poults. Coccidiosis might be a possibility for her struggling to gain weight, especially with multiple age birds, since older birds can contaminate young ones before they are tolerant of cocci.

But another possibility is mold which can cause brooder pneumonia (aspergillosis.) I might start some Corid (amprollium) in the water for 5-7 days in case of coccidiosis. Then mix up a little plain yogurt with water in a small cup of feed for probiotics. If you do not give the Corid, I would give her a few drops of Poultry NutriDrench daily for a boost. Make sure that the bedding is stirred and kept dry and clean, and add new often.

I never had it with chicks older than it. I got her along with a bunch of other chicks who were all the same age, but not all bantam's. The majority were standard sizes and one was accidently a broiler Bird. The bantam's loved him, he was like their new mommy. Would cocci still be a threat in this case though since she hasnt been with older birds? All the birds came from Tractor Supply excluding the turkey babies. One came from a breeder and the other from Southern States.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is worth trying the Corid. It certainly won’t hurt any of them to drink it. Chicks who are weak like her might be runts, but coccidiosis cannot be diagnosed without a fecal test at the vet. Corid cost may be less in the long run. Dosage is 2 tsp of Corid liquid or 1.5 tsp of Corid powder in each gallon of water—change it daily, and make it the only water source. Don’t give vitamins while on the Corid, but give them before and afterward.

If you don’t give the Corid, I would tske her out several times a day and feed her a watery mash of chick feed, plain yogurt (1/2 tsp,) and a bit of soft egg in a cup with water. The NutriDrench vitamins may also help.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/coccidiosis-what-backyard-chicken/