8 new chicks, 1 not eating, bad leg (updated)

[rhondapiper]

---She passed, just updating to say thank you for the help---

I just got my first ever chicks after exhaustively reading this board. Of the 8 I got express mail from my pet chicken, all but one are doing wonderfully.

One however, is not doing so hot. Not drinking unless I dunk her beak, not eating at all, and very lethargic. Not darting around like a little maniac like the others at all.

I checked for pasty butt, and rinsed her bottom with warm water and dried her off. She has a more pronounced scab under her vent than the other chicks, and, being a stupid newbie, at first I thought that was a blocked vent. I didn't pull it off or anything. Her vent is clean and clear.

But she keeps getting worse. I don't want to harass her to death, which I'm afraid I'm doing. Honestly, I don't even know if she'll make it until I'm done typing this post. I'm reading other past posts and using the search function as well, but I'm not sure what, if anything , I have done wrong.

Any ideas? They have had water and chick starter, but I got them all drinking before I fed them. She hasn't drank on her own or eaten. The brooder is 95 at the end, and the other chicks seem active and comfortable, not huddling or flopped over and hot.

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

sometimes theres nothing you can do. You could try sugar water to perk it up. When I ordered and had them shipped express one little cochin was on the bottom of the pile unfortunaely nothing I did helped and she passed.Its hard now I am hatching and the same thing happens. Some are just too weak to make it I think Good luck Micki

edited for spelling darn kitten keeps attacking my handslol

 

[dlhunicorn]

What you need isnt sugar water (which in many cases will overtax there systems and make things worse if you give too much) but electrolytes ... IMHO every shipped chick should be given electrolytes immediately upon arrival...
You can usually find electrolytes/vit at your feed store (Durvet is a common brand) or you can go to a good petstore and they will generally have one for birds.
In a pinch you can give a bit of diluted childrens pedialyte.

 

[rhondapiper]

OK, I stopped by the feed store and got electrolytes- all they had was a kind for all farm animals including poultry and 4 oz treats 128 gallons of water! I'm trying to do the math now to figure out how to appropriately dose the poor thing's water. The pet stores didn't have any choices at all.

The other peeps are still feisty, but she's just listless. I knew I could lose some, but I really didn't want to.

Wish me luck!

 

[cobrien]

how does her crop feel, the sac under the throat area? feel it and compare to the others. if hard or filled with air it could be an impacted crop, you should massage it in a downward direction, and read up on this problem. it is not that common in little ones but it has happened to me.

if not drinking / eating well you can try force feeding with a syringe, but there is a risk of her aspirating fluid or food which can kill her. always a tough choice, but if it gets to the point of her likely dying anyway, I would take the chance - put some concentrated sugar water in the back of her mouth.

better yet if you know anyone who can tube feed, this would put food directly into the crop and no chance of aspirating. you really have to know what you're doing to do this.

prepare for the worst, though, once they get sick it is hard to save them.

good luck and sorry for your situation.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

a word of caution
on vit/electrolites
only put in water the exact amt of the powder
as tooooo much of it will kill chicks also
this is powerful stuff\\
the chick is probably going to be weak

try giving some dry crubles 1 ysp
2 tsp of milk
1 tsp of yoguart
as it may eat the wet probiotic
it can't hurt it as it is got problems any way

 

[Periwinkle]

Hi, I'm tagging on to this forum to get some advice too... This is our first experience with chicks, we have 5 that are one week old. One of the Silver-laced Wyandottes, "Magic," is smaller and weaker than the rest. She limps a little, and the other chicks like to peck her. We have tried separating her but she keeps escaping and going back to the flock. Should we try harder to separate Magic, or allow her to be with the others? Nature seems so cruel! She is eating and drinking well, and doesn't have a pasty bum. Thanks for your help.

 

[chickabator]

1/4 of teaspoon for a quart of water, 1/2 for a half a gallon and 1 teaspoon per gallon of the electrolites and vitamins

 

[rhondapiper]

An update. The little sick one is still alive, but still doing poorly. She uses only one leg and keeps the other one curled up. She's always on her belly. She has started drinking on her own, but still is not eating. I'm feeding her with baby bird formula from a syringe. I'm not forcefeeding her, I hold the mash up to her beak and she takes it. Already, she is much smaller than the other chicks.

I'm not too hopeful. I'm out of the house for 9 hours a day, so she isn't getting fed nearly often enough. I do not know if she is taking in any feed on her own. Has anyone had a chick make it with just one leg? The other leg isn't spraddled, she keeps it held up against her. The other chicks were picking on her a bit, but have stopped.

As for the rest of the group, the other 7 are active and healthy. The 2 buff orps constantly have poopy butt that I have to clean off, but everyone else has clean backsides. The buff orps are a bit bigger than everyone else, but were the biggest and most active when they arrived. The 2 black australorps are already the boldest and most people friendly and like to climb all over anyone who picks them up. They watch us more than the others. The sick baby is a GLW, there is one other GLW and 2 SLW. These three are doing well also, but already seem more chicken-friendly than people friendly.

Despite the heartache of dealing with the wee sick one, I'm enjoying having chicks. I just wish I didn't have an unhealthy one in my first batch.

 

[dlhunicorn]

the electrolyte water should be the only source of water for at least four-five days (should be luke warm and not cold). The baby bird formula (I assume you got at a pet store) is great... you can also add some (live culture) yogurt with that
For the leg issue apply three drops of Polyvisol Enfamil formulation in her beak (once a day or spread it out a drop at time during the day for a week or two) ... this is a childrens liquid vitamin and usually takes care of those leg issues... later on if still curled you can repeat and put on a boot.