9 smart chicks…1 dumb chick ❤️

[Mom2LotsOBoys]

I’m outdoor brooding my 10 chicks with a MHP set up, and my first group from last week have done fine, very well actually, even with quite low temps. Got the second group yesterday and 3/4 figured it out fast and followed the crowd. Older chicks are being nice and littles are following along.

Dumb Chick here got lost in the wee hours and was cold and flopped over when I came out to check in the AM. After an hour of being wrapped in my extra heating pad and an ml or so of warm sugar water, she’s walking around and cheeping, and trying to climb around the box.

How long would y’all recommend keeping her inside before reintroducing her to the outdoor setup?

(And I call her DC in the most affectionate way lol…not trying to insult anyone, but it seems to fit )

 

[picklestheduck]

It’s concerning that this chick got “lost” and “flopped over”. Is she eatingand drinking regularly? She could have another issue.

 

[Mom2LotsOBoys]

It’s concerning that this chick got “lost” and “flopped over”. Is she eatingand drinking regularly? She could have another issue.

That’s what I’m wondering, and why I’ve been cautious to just put her back out. I have her in with her a little cup of sugar, water, and an egg yolk, and she’s a little slow comparatively to figure things out. She is drinking the sugar water independently, although I have not seen her independently eat any of the yolk. If I put her back into the heating pad, she stays there and goes to sleep, but she’s come out twice climbing to the top and looking at me chipping. She doesn’t seem to figure out how to go back in by herself. I can’t tell if she’s sick, dumb, or something else.

 

[picklestheduck]

That’s what I’m wondering, and why I’ve been cautious to just put her back out. I have her in with her a little cup of sugar, water, and an egg yolk, and she’s a little slow comparatively to figure things out. She is drinking the sugar water independently, although I have not seen her independently eat any of the yolk. If I put her back into the heating pad, she stays there and goes to sleep, but she’s come out twice climbing to the top and looking at me chipping. She doesn’t seem to figure out how to go back in by herself. I can’t tell if she’s sick, dumb, or something else.

What do her eyes look like? Clear? Normal? Hopefully she’s not blind, but it sounds like it may be something else. Did you check her bum for any stuck on poo which can create a blockage? How does she stand and walk? Chicks sometimes have failure to thrive, but im not so sure that is what’s happening. By what you say she seems to have a bit of spunk, like climbing out of her heating pad and chirping and such. Have you tried wetting down some chick food itself and try to get that in her? Can you post some pictures of her standing? How does she act with her siblings? If you put her back out ever I would say keep a close eye on her. Personally I would keep her in a bit longer though.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

She doesn’t sound dumb she sounds vitamin deficient. Get her on some poultry vitamins asap that at the very least have a good dose B vitamins.

 

[Mom2LotsOBoys]

What do her eyes look like? Clear? Normal? Hopefully she’s not blind, but it sounds like it may be something else. Did you check her bum for any stuck on poo which can create a blockage? How does she stand and walk? Chicks sometimes have failure to thrive, but im not so sure that is what’s happening. By what you say she seems to have a bit of spunk, like climbing out of her heating pad and chirping and such. Have you tried wetting down some chick food itself and try to get that in her? Can you post some pictures of her standing? How does she act with her siblings? If you put her back out ever I would say keep a close eye on her. Personally I would keep her in a bit longer though.

Thanks for the help! I do appreciate it.

No poo or anything stuck back there that’s visible. She isn’t blind, or doesn’t seem to be. Just sort of slow on the uptake, and just a little more wobbly than the others. I haven’t offered chick food yet but I can.

 

[Mom2LotsOBoys]

She doesn’t sound dumb she sounds vitamin deficient. Get her on some poultry vitamins asap that at the very least have a good dose B vitamins.

I have sav-a-chick and medicated chick starter. Is there something else I should offer?

 

[picklestheduck]

I have sav-a-chick and medicated chick starter. Is there something else I should offer?

Id say get her some chick food asap since those have the nutrients she needs but I would give her an extra boost with vitamins specifically for chicks from a feed store

 

[picklestheduck]

You can also get something called nutridrench that I use and it has helped many of my birds. I would say just give as many drops of that as she’ll take.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I have sav-a-chick and medicated chick starter. Is there something else I should offer?

Chick starter does not have enough vitamins to treat a deficiency. If I remember save a chick says that it has B vitamins in the ingredients list, but does not say exactly how much. If a vitamin supplement does not specifically say how much of a vitamin you need is in it, do not use it for that purpose. It will not have enough of that vitamin to treat a deficiency if it did have substantial amounts of that vitamin they would have listed it’s content on the panel . I would recommend either Poultry Cell or Durvets B complex.