Chick is hot to the touch and inactive

[elphabafalls]

Two days ago, we added 2 new chicks to our little flock from a hatchery. One is a Lavender Orpington and the other is a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte. The Lavender is warmer than our other chickens, but she's eating and drinking well. The BLRW is extremely hot to the touch and not very active. She's not eating or drinking much despite the heat (upper 90's). I know that the Lavender's legs are supposed to be dark, but I thought the BLRW is supposed to have yellow legs. Hers are grayish/pinkish/purplish. Both are about 3 to 5 weeks old. Since they came from the same place, I pulled them out of the coop and quarantined them. However, they spent 1.5 to 2 days with my other chicks (who are about 4 to 5 weeks old) before I noticed. The Lavender is pretty warm to the touch, but she doesn't have a lot of feathers yet. She's active and happy. It's the BLRW that I'm most worried about. I have a pic of the BLRW's legs, but it's on my phone. I'm not sure I can upload it because I've lost the cord needed. Our camera's card is full. I can try to take a photo with my laptop if it's absolutely necessary.

 

[FluffyButtBabies]

I wouldn't worry too much about the legs. It's possible to have an off-colored hen once in a while. I would only be worried if she stopped walking, or if they appeared swollen or injured. As for the lethargy, you can try putting electrolytes in her water to give her a little boost. Does she show any other symptoms? A runny nose or sneezing? How do her poops look?

 

[elphabafalls]

I wouldn't worry too much about the legs. It's possible to have an off-colored hen once in a while. I would only be worried if she stopped walking, or if they appeared swollen or injured. As for the lethargy, you can try putting electrolytes in her water to give her a little boost. Does she show any other symptoms? A runny nose or sneezing? How do her poops look?

Thank you so much for replying. No sneezing or coughing and no discharge. Just the inactivity and being so freaking hot to the touch. We have some sex links, a Barred PR and a Rhode Island Red, and they're all cool to the touch. Should I keep the 2 new ones separated for a day or 2 still? Or am I overreacting as a new parent (lol)?

 

[elphabafalls]

Thank you so much for replying. No sneezing or coughing and no discharge. Just the inactivity and being so freaking hot to the touch. We have some sex links, a Barred PR and a Rhode Island Red, and they're all cool to the touch. Should I keep the 2 new ones separated for a day or 2 still? Or am I overreacting as a new parent (lol)?

Oh, and her poop is somewhat runny but brown. She is still pooping, so I assume she ate plenty before today.

 

[FluffyButtBabies]

It's always best to quarantine any suspicious chicks to be safe, so I would hold off on introducing them just a little longer. As for the heat thing, I'm not sure what it is, but younger chicks are generally warmer than older ones. I have four babies right now, and they feel like little coals. Especially if it's hot, it's normal that she'd be feeling pretty warm. As for the runny poo, are you sure she isn't drinking? Sometimes a poop will be runny in hot weather because they are actually drinking so much due to the heat. Is it possible to take her inside for a few hours to let her cool down?

 

[elphabafalls]

It's always best to quarantine any suspicious chicks to be safe, so I would hold off on introducing them just a little longer. As for the heat thing, I'm not sure what it is, but younger chicks are generally warmer than older ones. I have four babies right now, and they feel like little coals. Especially if it's hot, it's normal that she'd be feeling pretty warm. As for the runny poo, are you sure she isn't drinking? Sometimes a poop will be runny in hot weather because they are actually drinking so much due to the heat. Is it possible to take her inside for a few hours to let her cool down?

That's the first thing we did. I've always heard that if something or someone is overheated like that, you should bring their body temp down. The hatchery I got her from (I contacted her to make sure none of her other chicks are sick) told me that I'd put the chicken in shock by bringing her in. I thought that was silly because it's not that cold inside.

 

[FluffyButtBabies]

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, not to take them inside lol. I do it with my babies all the time, especially when it reaches over 100 degrees out. You're doing the right thing.

 

[elphabafalls]

I brought them in. It's raining out anyway, and it's harder to keep them dry and protected in the dog carrier we have them in. Thank you so much for the help! Our other babies have had no problems health-wise. We lost a couple to predators, sadly, but the coop is triple secure now. I thought it was silly not to bring them in too. After the night of the predator attack, the survivors were terrified. We brought them in and checked them over for wounds and doctored them up. They're all fat and sassy now.