chick is sleeping all day and not eating

[TNfarmgirl]

I have a 3-4 week old Buff Orpington that seems to be very sick. It has been sleeping all day for the past 2 days and won't eat at all. I have given it water through a medicine dropper because it won't drink on its own. It is extremely lathargic and seems very off balance. It's poop is watery (a solid turd in a pool of water). I have separated it from the other 5 chicks. Is there anything that I can do for it? What do you think is wrong? I am new to the chicken sceen...so my knowlege is very limited. Thank you!!

 

[EastinChickens]

Try putting sugar in it's water and giving it to the chick thru a medicine dropper.

 

[EastinChickens]

Also, try giving it a mash of hard boiled egg yolks, chick crumbles, and plain yogurt. If it refuses the food when you hold it up to her beak, put the mash in the blender and water it down, turning it into a dilluted paste- then feed it through the medicine dropper until we figure out what is wrong.

Is this what she looks like while laying down?

Is this what her poo looks like?

If so, I think your chick has Botulism.
Here is a thread on it, and how to treat it:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=219553

 

[TNfarmgirl]

Thank you so much for the advise! I gave her the sugar water and it did pep her up a bit. I also mashed up some of her medicated starter feed with the hard boiled egg yolk and warm water. I had to feed this to her through a medicine dropper. She has started to walk around a little. I can tell she is still sick. Her feathers are puffed out, and she still seems lethargic (however, better than this morning). Her poop is now clear and watery with a little bit of white cloudy stuff in the middle. She has also been breathing with her beak open. Do you think it is Botulism or something else? What can I do to help her?

 

[EastinChickens]

Glad to hear the sugar water is working, keep up the good work!

Do you think she may have an impacted / sour crop?
In case you dont know what that means, if you feel the right side of the chicken, right where her chest "poofs out" in front, and it is rock hard, then she may have grass or something stuck in there.
This would cause her to not be able to digest food, resulting in the tired, sick look. If this is the case, it would also cause her to feel full, therefore she won't want to eat.

[Edited to add info / typo]