A silent chick just hatched: no peeping or chirping? Clicking noise while breathing.

[MisfitMarie]

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question, but I have one last chick left in my hatcher. All of the others have been moved to the brooder. Not only was it the last to hatch, but it has hatched four days late and came out of the shell with what looks like just a little bit of yolk left to absorb...

Now... the weird part, at least to me, is that I haven't heard the chick make a single sound.

At least from my limited past experience, I get at least a few peeps from the babies. They might peep before they externally pip, peep randomly while they hatch, peep while they dry off in the hatcher, or peep once they get to the brooder. At some point, they make a little bit of noise. NOT this one. Stone cold silence. I could whistle or tap on the incubator and get a real rise out of the other babies, not this one.

I see it breathing quite heavily....appears exhausted. Does this happen sometimes, or should I be worried?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question, but I have one last chick left in my hatcher. All of the others have been moved to the brooder. Not only was it the last to hatch, but it has hatched four days late and came out of the shell with what looks like just a little bit of yolk left to absorb...

Now... the weird part, at least to me, is that I haven't heard the chick make a single sound.

At least from my limited past experience, I get at least a few peeps from the babies. They might peep before they externally pip, peep randomly while they hatch, peep while they dry off in the hatcher, or peep once they get to the brooder. At some point, they make a little bit of noise. NOT this one. Stone cold silence. I could whistle or tap on the incubator and get a real rise out of the other babies, not this one.

I see it breathing quite heavily....appears exhausted. Does this happen sometimes, or should I be worried?

Often late hatchers are very weak and sadly may die. Do you have sav a chick in the water? The most that I know you can do is give it time and a little water with the sav a chick or sugar and see.

 

[MisfitMarie]

Often late hatchers are very weak and sadly may die. Do you have sav a chick in the water? The most that I know you can do is give it time and a little water with the sav a chick or sugar and see.

Thanks for the reply! I do have Sav-A-Chick in the water; however, it's not drinking on its own.

It has completely dried off, and is more vocal now, but cannot seem to walk to straight. The toes and legs look fine and properly aligned, but there seems to be a balance issue. It seems to just scuttle and dive-bomb into the floor, or flip around onto its back and freak out. I am glad that it is finally peeping, but I am still worried.

I have been rotating hourly drops of Sav-A-Chick and honey water from a Q-Tip. I am worried about the clicking noise while breathing and thinking about picking up more supplements on my way home today... I'll be away from the house tonight for Christmas, and won't be back until Friday night, so I'm hoping it makes it. That, or I just might have to take the little one along with me.