4 Week Old Chick With The Shivers

[SWAMPGIRL]

I have a batch of 6 dominiques and 2 d'uccles in my brooder now. One of the d'uccles is shaking all the time now. It start out just shaking occasionally, now it's shaking all the time. Seems to be eating, drinking, preening and getting around OK otherwise. Does anyone know what this is? Should I separate it from the others?

 

[robin416]

Where are they being kept? Outside? Then there's a chance its the early signs of cocci and it needs to be treated ASAP with either Amprol or Sulmet.

If they are in the house with no outside contact then it might have a bacterial infection.

 

[SWAMPGIRL]

They are inside. What do I use if it's bacterial?

 

[robin416]

I'm going to suggest you put one 325mg aspirin in a gallon of water to see if that reduces or eliminates the shivers.

I would use water soluble Tylan, if that does not do the trick there isn't much of anything else I'd recommend in one so young. The other drugs can be very hard on them.

 

[SWAMPGIRL]

Thanks, I'll try that. Should I worry about it spreading to the other chicks. I don't want my Dominiques to get sick. I can cull this one if it's going to be a risk for the others.

 

[robin416]

That would be your call to make on whether to cull it or not. Remember this is remote guess work.

I had one nearly scalped by its mother after hatching. I brought it and sibs in the house, treated the head wounds. A few days later the shivering started, I gave it Tylan several times a day and it stopped. None of its sibs became ill.

This is more than likely bacterial in nature so less chance of it spreading.

 

[SWAMPGIRL]

Thanks again. I'll try the tylan and see how it goes.