BABY CHICK DYING

[emilyterrill]

Baby chick gasping for air. Should we give her water? She's been very weak for 4 hours now. We've been keeping her hydrated and warm. She's gasping now. Should we give her water?

 

[Mylied]

No. Not if she's gasping. She'd aspirate it. Check there's nothing in her mouth or throat blocking her from breathing. Keep her warm. How old is she?

 

[emilyterrill]

5 days old. How do we get something out of her mouth or throat if we do find something there?

 

[Mylied]

I'd use tweezers. What are all the symptoms? Were you brooding her or a hen? How's her crop and poop?

 

[emilyterrill]

She passed shortly after I replied. Thank you for your concern and help.

 

[Mylied]

I'm sorry. There's not much you can do for the little ones and it sounds like you did your best.

 

[azygous]

I'm sorry this chick died. It's sad when this happens and leaves a helpless feeling as well as sense of loss.

This week I had a new chick take a sudden turn south. She was right at the one week mark and being raised by a broody hen. The first thing I noticed was she was slower than the other chick and was peeping non-stop. She couldn't seem to get warm and was trying to be under the hen all the time.

When a chick suddenly takes sick after appearing normal, I suspect constipation or crop problems. Both can kill a chick very quickly. I took this chick indoors and got out a tub of coconut oil. Taking a few small chunks of the solid oil, the solid form being harder to aspirate, I pried open the chick's beak and placed it on her tongue. The chick immediately swallows when you do this. I probably got about half a teaspoon of oil down her.

Then I returned her to her broody mama. Sometime during the night, the chick passed a turd that was of a size you'd have thought there was a much larger chick in the nest. She's been fine ever since.

Whether or not a sick chick is constipated, this oil treatment can't hurt, and it often can restore a sick chick back to normalcy.