Caring for 4-day Old Chick :-)

[leelman]

Hello -
My friend just had some chicks hatch this past Wednesday, the 9th (also my birthday!). Unfortunately, 1 had a few complications - I guess she had a hard time with the egg actually opening enough to come out and they eventually had to help her. There was yolk and eggshell stuck to her, but my friend has loads of chickens and experience with this type of thing. She has been washing her off with warm cloths, hand/force feeding her, and keeping her under a heat lamp. Her husband assumed she would die within the first 24 hours, but 4 days later, she's still here! Now for the good part - she left for vacation today for 2 weeks and asked if I could watch "Baby". Maybe since I'm a nurse she thinks I will keep her alive, but I've never had babies - my girls are all 4 months and older. She gave me great instructions and a big styrofoam cooler type container with a heat lamp. I have a syringe to feed the baby a mix of baby food and water. I learned that there are 2 holes in the mouth - the one under the tongue is the breathing hole and the one at the back of the tongue is the food hole (I would have never known this had she not told me!). She's only been gone for 2 hours and I am already stressing! I'm scared to death to leave her alone for more than 5 minutes. When I'm holding her, she's wrapped in a very warm crocheted hat!
OH! And I forgot - her little legs have tiny splints on them because they were splayed; so, I'm afraid to have any water in her box because I'm afraid she will tumble over and drown in the water! (We are using the lid to a pill container to keep the water in).
If anyone has any advice for me, I'd appreciate it; i.e., how many times per day should I make sure she eats; if she is pecking a little from her dish of food/water mix, how much is enough; and what are some things to watch for - besides death?!!
Sorry for the long post!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi

Glad you could join the flock! Wow that's quite an undertaking and very kind of you to watch this baby for your friend. As often as you can I would say if the baby is not eating a lot by herself. Just watch for signs of lethargy or the chick becoming weak. Als I would say look out for pasty butt with the chick. Make sure no poop gets stuck on or around that area.

Wishing you the very best of luck with the chick. Be sure to ask all the questions you need to. Everyone here to help and very friendly.

Enjoy BYC

 

[trailrider330]

Welcome to the BYC flock! We are glad you joined us!

Best of luck to you as you care for "Baby".

 

[drumstick diva]

Your friend has certainly saddled you with a lot of responsibility, inasmuch as you haven't chickens before.

Did she bring a brooder box with heat lamp for the chick? Won't the chick eat by herself or doesn't she know where to find food? A mama hen would show chicks where the food & water are by taping on the container. Maybe the chick feed is too large for her at this age and she needs it ground up a bit finer. Sometimes moistening it a bit with water will encourage them to eat..

Generally chicks will love some finely mashed, hard boiled egg yolk which can be moistened a bit with water or some plain yogurt. You may get her to eat that off your finger, or from a small dish (could even be a top from some jar). A little sugar in the water may encourage her to drink by herself. You can dip the tip of her beak in the water to see if that gets her drinking on her own.

To give her a boost - get some Polyvisol( NO iron) infant drops from Walmart or other pharmacy. 2 drops 3 times a day. Put the drops just inside her beak so if she doesn't want to swallow, she can push them out.

Chickens are flock animals - so you can give her a small stuffed toy as a cuddle buddy. If she cheeps and is lonely, a small mirror will make her think she has another chick with her.

Hope you will keep us updated about her. Come back as often as you need, if you want more questions.

 

[drumstick diva]

PS Baby chicks spend a lot of time sleeping the first few days - that is normal. Sometimes they will even fall asleep standing up, or in very scary positions pretending to be dead just to scare their caretakers. If you make a noise or touch them- you'll see they are still among the living.

 

[N F C]

And happy belated birthday!

You've received some great information from Yorkshire coop and Drumstick diva. If baby will drink from a waterer, you can put some marbles or small clean stones in the dish to keep her from drowning.

Here are some links to information on caring for new chicks that maybe helpful to you:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...ks-the-first-60-days-of-raising-baby-chickens
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/first-time-chicken-keep-questions-and-anwers

And always feel free to ask questions:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/11/raising-baby-chicks

Relax and have fun babysitting, you might find yourself wanting your own flock!

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[leelman]

Thanks for responding!
I do have 6 hens - just never had one this young!
She did give me a brooder box with a heat lamp and 2 huge "diaper" bags filled with food and food supplement. Yesterday morning they had been able to feed her with a syringe - some egg yolk and water. She stressed to me the importance of making sure she can't tumble into her water and drown; so, we started off by holding her and getting her to put her beak into water that we had put into a small cap from a water bottle. We had a separate cap that we mixed some Exact with some water for her. I didn't think she really had enough of either so I was prepared to use a syringe. But I know that can be really dangerous if you don't know what you're doing - before I did any research I had no idea that their trachea was at the base of the tongue and the esophagus was in the back/right. Each time we would try to give her water, I noticed that she was starting to stick her little neck out more and was getting the hang of it.
Then, we had sprinkled some of her baby food (very tiny pieces) around her box. Last evening we pointed her in the direction of some food and she started pecking at it! I was hopeful but still unsure of what I would find this morning when I woke up.
She sleeps in a little crocheted hat and my friend had put part of a scarf inside of it that looks like chicken feathers (a boa). There was no movement when I was messing with the box but then I heard the chirps She came out and started pecking at the food again AND went to the water cap and started drinking on her own!
While I'm ecstatic that Baby is starting to eat and drink on her own, I know that she has a long way to go. I am going to pick up some PolyViSol drops for her today.
Thanks for the great advice!

 

[leelman]

Thanks for responding!
I do have 6 hens - just never had one this young!
She did give me a brooder box with a heat lamp and 2 huge "diaper" bags filled with food and food supplement. Yesterday morning they had been able to feed her with a syringe - some egg yolk and water. She stressed to me the importance of making sure she can't tumble into her water and drown; so, we started off by holding her and getting her to put her beak into water that we had put into a small cap from a water bottle. We had a separate cap that we mixed some Exact with some water for her. I didn't think she really had enough of either so I was prepared to use a syringe. But I know that can be really dangerous if you don't know what you're doing - before I did any research I had no idea that their trachea was at the base of the tongue and the esophagus was in the back/right. Each time we would try to give her water, I noticed that she was starting to stick her little neck out more and was getting the hang of it.
Then, we had sprinkled some of her baby food (very tiny pieces) around her box. Last evening we pointed her in the direction of some food and she started pecking at it! I was hopeful but still unsure of what I would find this morning when I woke up.
She sleeps in a little crocheted hat and my friend had put part of a scarf inside of it that looks like chicken feathers (a boa). There was no movement when I was messing with the box but then I heard the chirps She came out and started pecking at the food again AND went to the water cap and started drinking on her own!
While I'm ecstatic that Baby is starting to eat and drink on her own, I know that she has a long way to go. I am going to pick up some PolyViSol drops for her today.
Thanks for the great advice!

 

[leelman]

Thanks for responding!
I do have 6 hens - just never had one this young!
She did give me a brooder box with a heat lamp and 2 huge "diaper" bags filled with food and food supplement. Yesterday morning they had been able to feed her with a syringe - some egg yolk and water. She stressed to me the importance of making sure she can't tumble into her water and drown; so, we started off by holding her and getting her to put her beak into water that we had put into a small cap from a water bottle. We had a separate cap that we mixed some Exact with some water for her. I didn't think she really had enough of either so I was prepared to use a syringe. But I know that can be really dangerous if you don't know what you're doing - before I did any research I had no idea that their trachea was at the base of the tongue and the esophagus was in the back/right. Each time we would try to give her water, I noticed that she was starting to stick her little neck out more and was getting the hang of it.
Then, we had sprinkled some of her baby food (very tiny pieces) around her box. Last evening we pointed her in the direction of some food and she started pecking at it! I was hopeful but still unsure of what I would find this morning when I woke up.
She sleeps in a little crocheted hat and my friend had put part of a scarf inside of it that looks like chicken feathers (a boa). There was no movement when I was messing with the box but then I heard the chirps She came out and started pecking at the food again AND went to the water cap and started drinking on her own!
While I'm ecstatic that Baby is starting to eat and drink on her own, I know that she has a long way to go. I am going to pick up some PolyViSol drops for her today.
Thanks for the great advice!