6 week old Chick, Sleepy, Hunched not eating treats - help please!

[5Leepy!]

put some chick food in a very small dish (ramekin?) and add some water to it. The food will soak up the water and get soft. She may start eating that. My chicks LOVED it! It's easier to eat. You may also want to start hand feeding her to encourage her or get her appetite back up.

 

[Roon]

Thank you, 5Leepy, I tried the chick feed + water this morning and tried to hand feed it to her with no avail. It's almost as if she WANTS to eat, but can't swallow or something...

She has shown interest today, in food and clover/lettuce. She pecked at the ground a few times, and even trotted over when she woke up to find the rest of the crew eating clover. She pecked at the clover and at her food, but didn't swallow anything.

Could she just be on her last legs and is nauseated and therefore can't bring herself to eat, or maybe she Doesn't have Cocci, but instead has some food blockage?

Thoughts??

 

[suebee]

Sounds more like impacted crop to me. Is the crop enlarged? Try massaging it and search for more info on here. What kind of chick food are you giving them?

 

[Roon]

I have no idea if the crop is enlarged...wouldn't know it if I felt it. That was my initial feeling about her illness, but the hunched up look and the sleeping didn't seem to be consistant. She wasn't shaking her head or anything.

They get chick crumbles and green stuff from the yard and garden.

 

[Roon]

And at this point her breastbone is insanely protruding - could I still feel the crop?

 

[suebee]

Has she ever been wormed?
What color is her poop? Green loose stool means trouble.
Have you treated her for lice & mites?

If it were me I'd get some sevin dust 5%, dust her really good and give her 1/8 teaspoon of Duramycin per quart of water with an eye dropper.

 

[Roon]

No, she's never been wormed. She's almost 7 weeks old - is that necessary? I'll do it right away for all of them, if so...

She hadn't been pooping - not eating.

Is the dusting for lice? And the medicine...to treat what?

Would it be unusual that she is the only one affected?

Thanks for your input!!

 

[5Leepy!]

Her crop is just below her neck on her right side (your left if you're looking at her). On a larger hen it looks sort of like her boobs. Feel around that area and see if you feel anything unusual. Anything hard and round that you can move around a bit? If yes, it may be impacted. Also, how does her breath smell? If it smells bad she may have sour crop.

You can try giving her some olive oil (one drop at a time to the top of her beak so it drips down and she can lick it). Give maybe a half a teaspoon and then try to massage her crop to help break up anything that's clumped. Do this several times a day.

Also, maybe try the chick feed with water to all your chicks so she sees how much they like it... she may eat it then. Is she drinking at all?

 

[5Leepy!]

also, it couldn't hurt to try to get some vitamins and electrolytes into her. You can by infant drops called Polyvisol at any pharmacy, just make sure it doesn't have iron in it. Vitamin B with Selenium and Vitamin E can sometimes help as well with vitamin deficiencies. I'm not saying this is what's wrong with her but since she's not eating her energy is low and it certainly can't hurt.

 

[suebee]

Sorry, no need to worm her but mite and lice may be a problem. 5% sevin dust at any feed store or walmart. 5Leepy, good advice.
As far as antibiotic to treat her for what....We don't know what the problem is...may be a bacterial infection, could be lice and mites, could be crop problems, etc.