Chick Laying Down - Help!

[Arizonagrace]

Hello All!

I have a two week old blue splash maran who seems to be laying down for the majority of time. She gets up to eat and drink, she walks around occasionally, but she is most definitely less active than the other 7. Her chest is also a little bald (possibly from laying down so much?) -- This behavior is going on about 3 days, she has not gotten worse, but has not gotten better. There are no bloody poops but am wondering if I need to treat the whole flock for cocci?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @Arizonagrace Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of your chick and her poop?
Is she staying mostly in the heated section of the brooder or is she moving to different areas?

With one that young it's hard to know what's going on - do your best to keep her hydrated - if you have some poultry vitamins to add to the water that would be good (Poultry Nutri-Drench, Poultry Cell, Sav-A-Chick, etc.). Check to see that her crop is emptying some - chicks in a brooder with a light, it can be hard to monitor crop function, but if you check her frequently you should be able to tell it's going up and down as she eats and poops.

It's possibly she may be suffering from Coccidiosis - symptoms include lethargy, loss of balance, going off feed, having a huddled/fluffed up appearance and loose stools with mucous or blood. Treatment is with Corid (Amprolium) - this can be found at most feed stores.

Keep us posted.

 

[azygous]

Are you certain this chick is pooping? What I suggest is to take the chick out and place it on a clean towel in a small box with a water bottle filled with water at 100F as a heat source. Make food and water available, and observe the chick's poops. They should tell you a great deal once you are able to verify the poops coming from this chick.

Have you checked for pasty butt? Usually a chick that has been having bouts of pasty butt is also a candidate for constipation. Even a chick that has never had pasty butt yet hasn't been drinking adequate water can get backed up. This can make a chick very sick very quickly.

A constipated chick may be pooping, but the poops may be watery and almost clear or they can be very sparse, few and far between. If the chick has abnormal poops, I will treat with coconut oil immediately even if I only slightly suspect constipation. As with cocci, it's better to treat a chick that doesn't have these ailments than not treat a chick that does.

 

[jthornton]

I had a chick doing that and I moved her from the brooder to a tubby on the floor with food and water to observe her and within an hour she had pooped 3 times and was standing on top of the water bottle trying to figure out how to get back to the group. Just beginners luck for me it was my first chicks.

JT