Another chick is acting sickly - seeking advice please

[sherrysusan]

Hello,

I had 8 beautiful hens one month ago ... one of the red chicks was acting like she didn't feel good one day, so I fed her some bread & water, and held her, didn't feel any lumps or anything, but she seemed stressed I guess . . . the next morning she had passed away under the walk out board to their run

Now another red hen is acting kind of the same the last couple of days . . . she's hanging out behind the nesting box . . . I picked her up this morning and tried to get her to eat, but she wouldn't . . . when I put her down, she went right back behind the nesting box, am afraid I'm going to lose her too . . . what could possibly be wrong?

I tried looking at her back end to see if an egg is jammed, but am not skilled in this . . . any advice is greatly appreciated . . . sure don't want to lose her or any more

Thanks kindly,
sherry

 

[Toddrick]

Definitely bring her inside and Isolate her from the rest. Inspect the crop, vent, and poo. The most likely cause of death in young birds usually seems to be Coccidiosis, which is easily treatable, so read up on that if you don't know about it. You can wash some poo in a jar to look for possible worms, or take a sample to the vet for a fecal analysis ($15).

Be careful with for hand feeding or watering. It is probably best to tube feed if necessary [search this site for great instructions].

 

[Eggcessive]

Take a rubber glove, and poke a finger inside the vent 1-2 inches to check for a stuck egg. If one is found stuck, give a calcium tablet, Tums, or crushed egg shell orally, then soak her in a shallow warm bath up to the bottom of her wings. Massage her lower belly toward the vent to help her pass the egg. Then dry her thoroughly inside the house before putting her outside again.