6 week old chick is lethargic

[Chido]

My chick was fine last night but today it's a bit lethargic. It does run away from me when I try to catch it and it has jumped on my lap a few times now (I have it in my room atm). However, it tends to just stand there, closes its eyes and its head is resting on its shoulders, and it hasn't really eaten anything today. The poop is very solid but small, and I didn't see anything stuck in its mouth or felt any lump in its neck. I don't know what's wrong with it, it peeps softly and seems to just want to sleep

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Edit: the chick is falling asleep in my lap and it feels very warm. I don't know what happened, the chick looked ok last night and this morning

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Edit 2: I got it to eat a bit of cooked rice, about half a teaspoon. now it went back to just tying to sleep. This is not it's normal behavior, I don't know what's wrong with it. Please don't die on me Rusty!

 

[Mamahalo]

I'm so sorry, I hope Rusty is ok! I'm new to chickraising so I haven't any advice but my heart goes out to you. I also have a weak chick acting strangely.

 

[birdicus7]

Without any further information and based mostly on the sleepyness my first suspicion is Cocci. It is very prevalent and one of the most common symptom is constantly
wanting to sleep. I have not had to treat for it but if you do a search on here you will get good information. Good Luck!

 

[Chido]

How long doe cocci take to show symptoms? I bought them medicated food a couple of days ago and they've been eating it. Besides being sleepy, when I wake Rusty up, it does run around trying not to be caught, and has energy to jump from my lap to my shoulder to perch and sleep more.

Edit: Rusty pooped on me just now an the poop was solid and normal looking, it just rolled off my shoulder. By other two chicks are fully feathered now, so I'll leave them outside in their coop tonight and I'll keep Rusty in its crate in my room. I've noticed Rusty tends to have excess saliva in its beak.

 

[Celtic Chick]

Solid, normal poops are a good sign, as is having the energy & desire to jump up on you.
Make sure Rusty keeps eating & drinking. If he stops eating or looses interest, try mixing the chick starter (you are feeding chick starter, right?) with a little warm water into a paste & try feeding him that. They usually like that.
Cocci usually takes a long time to show symptoms, I think, but when it does, I've read that there will be blood in the stool.
I will research the excess saliva, but in the meantime, here are some ideas:
Whenever one of my girls seems a bit "off", I supplement her diet by feeding her some foods that are high in vitamins A, K & E , especially vit. A. She might have a nutrient deficiency, and vitamin A is one of the most important vitamins for a chickens overall health.
Some foods high in vit. A are: broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, mangoes & tomato juice. Spinach, peppers & alfalfa leaves for K, and sweet potatoes & broccoli for E, which helps boost the immune system.
If you have any of these veggies, boil them up until they are soft & chop them into bite-size pieces or mash them with a fork.
I'd add some Sav-A-Chik or other vitamin/elecrolyte solution to his water also, or give him 1 drop of Poly-vis-ol from Enfamil (no iron formula) a day for a few days. 1 drop for chicks, 2 for smaller hens, 3 for standards.
I know someone who knows alot about chickens. I'll send him a PM for you. Hang in there. It sounds like whatever is bothering your chick, you caught it early, so that is great.

 

[Chido]

I started to take the chicks outside in their coop on tuesday. The other two are fine. The food I'm giving them is a mix of medicated food, pellets, and chicken starter. I was told by the guy in the feed store to start mixing the food so they get more variety. I'm gonna make a bit of oatmeal tonight and mix some of the food in it to make it soft and see if I can get it to eat it. Rusty hasn't been interested in drinking water, so what I'm doing is I try to open its beak and use a serynge to pour some water onto my fingers next to its beak, so some water gets inside its mouth and it drinks it. Right now all it want to do is perch on my shoulders and cuddle

. It might be cold, but its skin feels very hot in its thighs and feet. I guess that might be fever?

And sorry if I don't know much about chickens, we found these chicks about a month ago in the street (long story involving a neighbor and his street roaming flock). I've been buying supplies and whatever I think I need with each paycheck, but I have no meds or anything yet to treat any illness

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Also, Rusty seems to have problems swallowing small solid chucks of food, it tries to eat food, but I think it bothers it to swallow. That's why I'm gonna try the oatmeal.

 

[Celtic Chick]

Only feed him chick starter. Adult chicken food can kill him.

 

[Celtic Chick]

I understand you are new at this. Take a deep breath. It will be ok. Nothing you have done so far is your fault. You are new at this.
Feed store people don't always know what they are talking about. Until your chicks are of "laying" age, (for females), which is usually around 20 weeks old, they should be fed solely a chick starter (0 to 6 to 8 wks) or grower/finisher ration (6/8 wks to 18-20 wks). This feed, along with plenty of water, is all chicks need to develop into strong, healthy adults as far as nourishment is required.
Mixing chick feed with oatmeal sounds like a good idea, esp. if he isn't drinking much. He needs liquid. A syringe is a good idea. Keep putting it on your finger, or drip it into the corner of his mouth. Just be careful, or you could drown him if he gets too much.
He is cuddling because he has a fever. Keep him warm. He has chills.
If he has problems swallowing, dilute everything with water. Make it more of a paste or a slurry.
You're doing good. Keep us posted.

 

[Chido]

Well I got it to drink some water, but it won't touch the food.

 

[Celtic Chick]

Mix the chick starter with a little warm water into a paste or a slurry & try feeding him that. You can get it runny enough to go into a syringe & it will be fine.
Deep breaths. Patience. Chicks can be very resilient.