Chick might be dying

[Kantesh]

Last night there were a lot of bugs and my 3 silkie chicks went on a feeding frenzy.Today one the chick is extremely weak. He can barely balance himself and keeps swaying his head when he tries to pick it up.This is how the chick looks rn.

 

[azygous]

Were the "bugs" dark beetles about half an inch long? Where did they come from?

Are any of the other chicks acting lethargic, standing around not active?

I'm sorry, but this particular chick is very likely to die within the next few hours, and there isn't much to be done for it. But if you can give us more information by answering our questions, we might be able to help you save your other chicks.

 

[azygous]

If you can't identify, even in the ballpark of whether the bugs were beetles or flying insects, we can't know that there's any relationship between the bugs and this chick being sick.

That this chick became so sick so quickly leads me to believe it consumed a darkling beetle that was harboring Clostridium, a very virile bacteria that can kill in as little as 24 hours after exposure.

If you know where these "bugs" came from, it would be a good idea to locate their source and eradicate it.

It might also be a good idea to locate a source for an antibiotic in case your other two chicks begin to show signs if being sick. This is what I use and where I get it. https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/

In case this is another disease than what might have been transmitted by those "bugs", please look inside this sick chick's mouth and see if it's full of a smelly, gummy, pasty substance.

 

[azygous]

Thanks for checking the mouth. We can rule out canker as the source of illness and odor.

Termites or flying ants won't make a chick sick. But this chick had to have come into contact with something toxic for it to become this sick so quickly.

It certainly would help if you'd include your location in your profile. It might give us a clue.

For example, several weeks ago, I had two chicks become very sick very fast and die, and I discovered a poisonous caterpillar was the villain. It happens to inhabit ponderosa pine trees, and I found two of them just feet from my run.

Can you try to describe more clearly what the odor coming from this chick smells like?

For example, is it sour like buttermilk or sour milk? Is it like roadkill? Is it stinky like poop?

 

[azygous]

If this chicken is unconscious, not able to eat or drink, hasn't opened it's eyes or tried to stand up, it's best to end its suffering now.

I've run out of possibilities.

 

[azygous]

I've never used it, but some here say it allows for a certain degree of suffering as the chicken suffocates. Severing the head is the quickest method and painless.

 

[azygous]

Only you know your hen well enough to make the decision when to end it for her. My criteria for euthansia is what I mentioned earlier. When a chicken can no longer wake up, stand up, feed and drink, it's time to end it.

When a chicken is sick, they will never just stay the same. They will either get better or they will get worse. If the chicken is getting better, though far from being well and normal, there is noticeable progress.

On the other hand, if the chicken stays the same well past the point of time dictating she should be starting to get better, or if she is steadily declining, then I make the call to end it.

 

[azygous]

This is the most difficult thing about keeping chickens. Most of us have faced this decision and we all dread it. Making the decision is the hardest part. Doing the deed is very hard, too. But we all experience a sense of relief that the suffering is over. We still need to grieve, but each day, it hurts a bit less.

 

[Eggcessive]

What kind of bugs? I would try to get the silkie to drink some fluids, and offer some wet chick feed and scrambled egg. How does the crop feel? If the crop is full and hard, do not feed, but give water. Sorry about your chicken, but I have not dealt with that before.

 

[Kantesh]

What kind of bugs? I would try to get the silkie to drink some fluids, and offer some wet chick feed and scrambled egg. How does the crop feel? If the crop is full and hard, do not feed, but give water. Sorry about your chicken, but I have not dealt with that before.

The crop is empty.He can barely open his eyes.He is extremely stinky .I'm scared he might not make it.