3 Week Old Lethargic

[Chxlove]

Hi all, new to chickens as of 2.5 weeks ago. My Buff Orpington girls just turned 3 weeks old today, I also have a Barred Rock who is 3.5 weeks and 2 olive eggers who are 4 weeks. All the babies have been doing really well except for one of the buffs. She seemed like she could've been a runt or kind of a failure to thrive type situation, as she's a lot smaller than her sister and not as energetic. That seemed to change within the last week, she's been so playful with the others, feathering out nicely, and eating and drinking well. The last 2 days she's been eating like crazy and I was so proud!! She seemed fine and normal this morning and even mostly when I got home from work around 5:30 PM. I went to check on them 2 hours later and my Goldie doesn't seem herself now. She was perched on the roosting bar falling asleep while the others were sprinting around playing, eating, etc even when they'd brush past her. She'd just stand there and barely move or maybe just hop off and stand somewhere else. I was going to clean their bedding out and she again was barely running away like the others. She had a little poo below her vent but not clogging it and I cleaned it off right away. I tried to gently massage around the vent to feel for a blockage but couldn't tell. I never see her poop so I don't know what it looks like. They have been treated for cocci with Corid since I've had them with the exception of a few days (one had bloody poop when we first got them, it's been kind of off and on since.) I had them off of the Corid for less than 48 hours thinking we were in the clear and one had messier, stinky, reddish poop again yesterday, so they're back on it starting tonight. I also added in probiotics to the water about a week ago. I know they like to dig around and sometimes find little turds to peck at or carry around even though they have pine shavings that I change every 2-3 days (they also have a large kiddie pool so they have plenty of space). Goldie still sleeps under the brooder mostly and likes to nap under it, though this morning I saw her sleeping out from under it so I don't think she's too cold, all the other chicks sleep out of the brooder area with their wings slightly open and by each other, not huddled up. She's just kind of the odd one out and has been slow to catch up and now that I finally saw she was this last week, I'm so scared again she's going backward. I tried to get her to eat and drink for me but she wouldn't. Mind you, I'm not positive how long it's been but I'm fairly certain she was eating this morning, but all day and night yesterday for sure. They eat organic crumble, no treats or grit or anything yet. I'm so so paranoid, can you tell I was going to give them a chick stick treat with some grit available this week but now I'm too worried about my Goldie. Hearing your thoughts may make me worry more but I learn so much from these threads! Any ideas on what else I can do or am missing for my sweet Goldie? I'm such a sucker for the underdogs so she has my heart. Hopefully she will be back to her chipper little pipsqueak self in the morning but if not, I'd like to have a game plan.

Thanks my chicken friends! Here she was 2 days ago during her day-night long feast. This is just a little Quart sized feeder lifted up by a pancake mix box so you can kind of see how small she is.

This was her then tonight on the roost (is that what you call it? ) while the others were pecking around for treasure.

This was the day we brought her home when she was 4 days old. The pics make her look the same size, I know she has grown but not by much.

 

[sourland]

How is she today. It does sound like failure to thrive. Sometimes if it was stress induced (as in shipping) such chicks rebound and catch up to flock mates. If congenital in origin they may show spurts of growth and then just stop growing and physically deteriorate. Hopefully she is better this morning.

 

[Chxlove]

How is she today. It does sound like failure to thrive. Sometimes if it was stress induced (as in shipping) such chicks rebound and catch up to flock mates. If congenital in origin they may show spurts of growth and then just stop growing and physically deteriorate. Hopefully she is better this morning.

She definitely perked up today and is back to eating, drinking, and playing like she had been. Hopefully she keeps it up and starts growing better. I guess time will tell!