8 week old chick acting off all of a sudden

[hollilynn]

My otherwise, healthy 8 wek old chick is acting strange this morning. Last night I put all my 9 chicks in the coop and they were freaking out, because is was windy. They settled down and all appear to be just fine this morning except for this one chick. She is all puffed up with head hanging and one eye closed. Is she sick or hurt because of the crazy freakshow last night? she seemed fine yesterday;(

help please!

 

[Sarevan]

Mine freaked out too when they went out permanently. The wind in the run, and the different location made them huddle and practically smashed themselves into a corner.

Check her over to see if she has any bruising under her feathers or any injury. It is possible if they huddled and she was on bottom could've been scratched. Or she was nearly suffocated from being on the bottom so check out her breathing.

I put electrolytes, probiotics alternating days with poultry nutridrench in water to help them get over the stress of being in the new outside location. I also rechecked the area to make sure there wasn't anything they could injure themselves on.

Hope your chick recovers quickly!

 

[hollilynn]

thanks! i actually started her on some coricidin? for coccidiosis after researching this site. she is soooo lethargic! have not seen any weird poop at all! dang this is hard

 

[Sarevan]

I forgot about cocci, if you treat one treat them all by waterer. I had mine on Corid when I put them out ( forgot about that) I treated them because I put mine in the area I had my big girls growing up in last year. The big girls got a new bigger area.


Some ideas for you that might be helpful.
You may want to have grit available to them now too if you are giving greens or other treats.

Put together a chicken first aid kit, search here in forums lots of things you already may have on hand can be used. Some may need to be purchased at a feed store.

Get a tube feeding kit! https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding

I am trying to keep a notebook on the chickens, marking things on a calendar to keep track of treatments, worming and lice/mite treatments. Pictures of each bird on each ones page as they grow. The hens from last year are easy to tell apart as a mixed flock. The buff orpingtons the new ones, look so much alike I am getting leg bands to mark them. I had been using food dye on feathers.

Good luck! - Sara

 

[hollilynn]

thank you, I will put together a kit. I had her drink some corid treated water with a syringe and she drank fine. I mixed up some chick food with scrambled eggs and softened with water. She is definitely not interested in any of it. Just laying down in the back of the dog crate. Should I force her to eat some if that is at all possible? All my 9 chicks have been doing fantastic, until I put them in their coop yesterday. The rest are still just fine but, I am treating the water with corid just in case. I just don't get it!
I have provided them with medicated chick food, grit when given grass and treats etc., probiotic water from the very start. (treats and grit when they were a bit older)

she had a clear watery poo, tiny amount... no blood, no color whatsoever.

she keeps closing one eye, while the other remains open. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if she is injured, considering the absolute freakshow last night. But, I can see no signs other than her behavior and the one eye closed.

Thank you SO much for your input! This site has been invaluable so far.

 

[hollilynn]

so update on the chick: after eating some chick food mixed with scrambled egg an hour ago, she is actually looking worse. She is very lethargic and the one eye appears to be closed permanently now. Not sure what to do with her, I hate to pick her up and cause her pain...
any ideas?