cluelesschickmother
Chirping
HELP!!! One of the new 4 week old black silkie chicks seems really weak and near death. She doesn't move much when I touch her or pick her up and had her wings stretched out and legs splayed in the brooder before I grabbed her (eeek!! thats what happened to our last one before it died!). Worst of all her crop is MASSIVE and rock hard.
Let me start by saying she is REALLY fat, which doesn't initially seem like it would be a problem but may factor in somehow? She is twice the size of the other two, she eats and drinks all day. She really feels TOO fat for a 4 week chick...
I immediately reached out to the hatchery where I just picked her up from yesterday. He asked what her living conditions are and I told him...
- 80 - 85 degrees in the brooder, with warmer and cooler areas
- water fortified with poultry cell, B12, electrolytes and sugar
- chicken grit and chicken starter scattered throughout the pine shavings in the brooder
- full feeder of chicken starter
The guy at the hatchery said that the chicks had been outside with a flock of pullets for the last week or so and had access to grass, water, chicken starter and grit and only during the day. Its about 70º during the day and 40º at night where we live (which seems way too cold for a 3-4 week chick... but what do I know).
He assumed that the drastic temperature increase caused heat stroke in the chick, he also said giving young chicks too many supplements could do more harm than good. So he told me to turn off the brooder light, let the room cool down and replace the water with regular water. In regard to the crop, he said to remove the food for the night and put in more plain chicken grit. All good advice, which I followed, though the brooder is scattered with food they peck at all day and night. I also catch them sometimes eating the pine shavings, could that be the problem?
After about an hour the chick seems to be coming back to life, she's eating the grit and drinking water, but is still very inactive and barely responds to my touch. Meanwhile, the other two, much leaner and smaller chicks (more normal sized chicks) are running around energetically kicking up pine shavings. Everyone seems to be happier in the cooler room.
I worry something internally is wrong with this chick, since the other two are doing so well and you would assume the other new black silkie would also be having heat stroke if that were the only issue? I wonder what could be going on? The heat stroke explanation makes sense but doesn't factor in the massive hard crop. I am telling you... its massive! Also, why is she so so fat?? I also checked, and she doesn't have any pasting.
From what I have read online, people say to put electrodes, sugar and B12 in the water for heat stroke... but what if an overdose on that is what's killing her?? Also, none of them are panting! During the summer my chicks would immediately start panting when it got too hot.
She seems to be doing better overall, but is fluctuating from walking around, kicking up pine shavings and drinking with the other chicks to laying completely still - to the point where I have to touch her to see if she's alive, she doesn't even respond to the door opening like the other two do. They are all huddled together in the dark and the room is around 65º now (I hope its not too much of a temperature shock for the original splash silkie I almost killed from starvation a couple days ago!).
I think they are doing okay but I am scared to check if the she's still alive because I don't want to keep waking them up and stressing them out, plus what good will it do? I cant lose another chick! How is everything going so wrong! We raised chicks all summer and not one died!!
Let me start by saying she is REALLY fat, which doesn't initially seem like it would be a problem but may factor in somehow? She is twice the size of the other two, she eats and drinks all day. She really feels TOO fat for a 4 week chick...
I immediately reached out to the hatchery where I just picked her up from yesterday. He asked what her living conditions are and I told him...
- 80 - 85 degrees in the brooder, with warmer and cooler areas
- water fortified with poultry cell, B12, electrolytes and sugar
- chicken grit and chicken starter scattered throughout the pine shavings in the brooder
- full feeder of chicken starter
The guy at the hatchery said that the chicks had been outside with a flock of pullets for the last week or so and had access to grass, water, chicken starter and grit and only during the day. Its about 70º during the day and 40º at night where we live (which seems way too cold for a 3-4 week chick... but what do I know).
He assumed that the drastic temperature increase caused heat stroke in the chick, he also said giving young chicks too many supplements could do more harm than good. So he told me to turn off the brooder light, let the room cool down and replace the water with regular water. In regard to the crop, he said to remove the food for the night and put in more plain chicken grit. All good advice, which I followed, though the brooder is scattered with food they peck at all day and night. I also catch them sometimes eating the pine shavings, could that be the problem?
After about an hour the chick seems to be coming back to life, she's eating the grit and drinking water, but is still very inactive and barely responds to my touch. Meanwhile, the other two, much leaner and smaller chicks (more normal sized chicks) are running around energetically kicking up pine shavings. Everyone seems to be happier in the cooler room.
I worry something internally is wrong with this chick, since the other two are doing so well and you would assume the other new black silkie would also be having heat stroke if that were the only issue? I wonder what could be going on? The heat stroke explanation makes sense but doesn't factor in the massive hard crop. I am telling you... its massive! Also, why is she so so fat?? I also checked, and she doesn't have any pasting.
From what I have read online, people say to put electrodes, sugar and B12 in the water for heat stroke... but what if an overdose on that is what's killing her?? Also, none of them are panting! During the summer my chicks would immediately start panting when it got too hot.
She seems to be doing better overall, but is fluctuating from walking around, kicking up pine shavings and drinking with the other chicks to laying completely still - to the point where I have to touch her to see if she's alive, she doesn't even respond to the door opening like the other two do. They are all huddled together in the dark and the room is around 65º now (I hope its not too much of a temperature shock for the original splash silkie I almost killed from starvation a couple days ago!).
I think they are doing okay but I am scared to check if the she's still alive because I don't want to keep waking them up and stressing them out, plus what good will it do? I cant lose another chick! How is everything going so wrong! We raised chicks all summer and not one died!!
