Chick acting strange

[azygous]

Is this chick much smaller than the others? Is this something that came on suddenly and this chick has been totally normal to this point?

What have you been feeding the chicks besides chick crumbles? Anything?

If this chick is much smaller, it is likely failure-to-thrive. It needs a quick shot of vitamins, preferably Poultry Nutri-drench.

There is also a good possibility the chick has eaten some pine shavings and has got an impacted crop. Feel just to the right side of its chest and see if you feel a hard lump. If you do, you need to get a teaspoon of coconut oil into it asap. Chill it until it's hard, and break off bits and place them on the tongue one at a time until you get the full teaspoon into the chick. Then massage the hard lump very gently until you feel it break up. Then make sure the chick drinks plenty of water.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Thank you this was a big help, also should I seperate her? Will this spread to the other chicks?

If she's too miserable to care about being separated, I would do so, just to prevent them contracting whatever she's got. If she's alert enough to miss her buddies, it could stress her our more, but from what you describe, she isn't.

Hope she recovers.

 

[Roger98]

Is this chick much smaller than the others? Is this something that came on suddenly and this chick has been totally normal to this point?

What have you been feeding the chicks besides chick crumbles? Anything?

If this chick is much smaller, it is likely failure-to-thrive. It needs a quick shot of vitamins, preferably Poultry Nutri-drench.

There is also a good possibility the chick has eaten some pine shavings and has got an impacted crop. Feel just to the right side of its chest and see if you feel a hard lump. If you do, you need to get a teaspoon of coconut oil into it asap. Chill it until it's hard, and break off bits and place them on the tongue one at a time until you get the full teaspoon into the chick. Then massage the hard lump very gently until you feel it break up. Then make sure the chick drinks plenty of water.

I felt around and I don't feel any lumps... but thank you, but I will admit that she seemed way more alert when we first brought her home.

 

[azygous]

If you don't feel anything in the crop, the chick could be constipated. This is serious and can kill very quickly. The treatment is safe and can't hurt if constipation isn't the problem. Do the coconut oil as I described above.

If the chick is constipated it will pass a big turd in a few hours, then it will recover within a day and be normal again. If the chick isn't constipated the oil does no harm, but the chick will still be sick. I would then assume it's a failure to thrive chick and vitamins and special feeding will be necessary to give it a chance.

 

[chuckachucka]

The white poop indicates she is not eating. I would try hand feeding her, she how much she eats. Every hour dip her beak in water and try to hand feed her. If she won't eat the chick crumbs try softening them with water. Some chicks just need a bit of extra help. I hope this is the case here and not something more serious.

 

[Roger98]

The white poop indicates she is not eating. I would try hand feeding her, she how much she eats. Every hour dip her beak in water and try to hand feed her. If she won't eat the chick crumbs try softening them with water. Some chicks just need a bit of extra help. I hope this is the case here and not something more serious.

Last night I tried to do that and she wouldn't take food or water so I just put her in her own separate tub with a lamp and let her rest. Just now I tried to get her to eat again and she seems much more alert and I got her to eat a few crumbled bits and a few drops of water. But I noticed while doing that that her poop is now yellow? And runny, is this better or worse?

 

[azygous]

About the same. You want to see brown and white solid poop. The watery poop with yellow and white indicates a possible obstruction and food isn't being processed. Only a bare minimum is getting through. When the green stuff starts showing up, the chick is in starvation mode.

 

[Roger98]

Last night I tried to do that and she wouldn't take food or water so I just put her in her own separate tub with a lamp and let her rest. Just now I tried to get her to eat again and she seems much more alert and I got her to eat a few crumbled bits and a few drops of water. But I noticed while doing that that her poop is now yellow? And runny, is this better or worse?

About the same. You want to see brown and white solid poop. The watery poop with yellow and white indicates a possible obstruction and food isn't being processed. Only a bare minimum is getting through. When the green stuff starts showing up, the chick is in starvation mode.

Would putting her in some warm water help? I think I saw that somewhere, maybe that'll help her? Or is there different way to loosen her up

 

[azygous]

No, don't soak her in warm water. That's the therapy for an egg bound hen, not a constipated chick. You need to get some oil in her to lubricate her crop, gizzard and intestines.

 

[Roger98]

So I feel like I should update, the chick is still alive and I believe doing better. She was eating and drinking really good on her own today after struggling to keep her awake and eat/drink. Her balance is much better too. She isn't stumbling a's much. Right now she's snuggled up to me because she wouldn't stop chirping for the other chicks. She really misses them since I separated her. So hopefully she will get over whatever she has, if anything. (Also she just pooped on me so I might as well add that her poop is becoming more solid but its still not right yet, she's been eating a lot tho I'm hoping it'll get better)