Chick near death...

[discoveregg]

Hello All:

I have my first sick chick. She is a Dominique. To start:

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)4 week old Dominique pullet, unknown weight.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.Sitting absolutely still, eyes closed.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? She was fine yesterday morning, my DH cared for them in the evening and said they all looked ok to him but I doubt how carefully he looked, she was sick when I woke up this morning.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?no
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.No
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.Perhaps? See below.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.Will not eat or drink at all
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.It is very dark, with some blood (I think. It looks like dark red blood)
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?Forced Sav-A-Chick water
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?Can't afford a vet.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use She was in an XL Dog crate, top removed, used as a brooder box. Shavings for bedding, heat lamp. Now I've moved her to a small box, under a heat lamp with shavings

Her feet are cold and just hang. No discharge from eyes or beak. Eyes are closed. She has been in the brooder with 5 other chicks, all hatched the same day - Doms and Cuckoo Marans. They are all doing fine.
I have the brooder in the living room of our log home, which we recently moved into. The wood stove is in that room, and we've had some difficulty regulating the temperature - the room has been too warm or too chilly. Trying to figure out what combo of wood to use, and when.
Wondering if too many changes in the temp of the room effected the temp in the brooder box enough to make her sick?

Don't want to lose her, please help!

 

[NottinghamChicks]

The best thing is to cull her and I find the easiest method is starter fluid soaked on a rag, place in a coffee can and add the chick. Cover and within a minute she will pass and have no more misery. It is best to help them along when they are suffering, I am so sorry for your chick

 

[sheila3935]

Cocci! hurry and get some Corid to start treating. She may not make it as bad as she is, but you need to treat everyone or else you will have more getting sick. Bloody poo and looking sick(puffed up) not eating drinking is usually Cocci. You will probably have to forced feed her to get her to drink the medicated water.

 

[easttxchick]

Quote:
Absolutely! Treat ALL of the babies she is sharing the brooder with as well.

 

[discoveregg]

Thanks! On my way to the store...

 

[stoopid]

I agree, if there is a chance, treat all for cocci. Even if the first one doesn't make it, it's probable that they all have it. Good luck!

 

[CMV]

I hope you caught it in time! Cocci works fast.

Good luck.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

yep, sounds 100% like coccidia. And not probable, 100% sure, all the others are exposed to it if they were in the brooder together. The parasite cyst are passed threw the poop. Then the others get it from walking or pecking around in it. It takes 3 weeks to develop in the host bird, so if you have one showing signs now, it's been in there for 3 weeks....so all of them are exposed and in variable stages of development with it.

Treat all with any sulfur based meds to curing. Once at the stage of this chick, knocking it in the head is the best for it. They virtually never come back from that far gone. Though the others should treat up just fine. This is why most starter feed is medicated. It is medicated at a preventative does though, so will do no good for them once they are infected.

Toss that brooder once you get them straight, as you will never kill off all the cocci in it. A vet once told me you could put coccidia bugs on a stainless steel table, bleach it. wipe it off pour gas on it and light it on fire, and he could still find viable coccidia on it. Pretty much saying..they are TUFF.

Once you have it under control, DO continue to feed them medicated feed til they are grown. All birds and animal are exposed to Cocci all the time, it's the young or very old weak ones that suffer from it. Healthy adult birds immune system just fights it off.

There are 9 types of Coccidia that effect chickens, as mentioned they are very tough, so if you get another outbreak, use a different med the next time, they get resistant too over time if you keep using the same thing. By this I mean a different chemical too, not just a different brand name many are the same thing

 

[greenkjb]

Don't despair! I had a 7 week old chick that was so sick from cocci sh was lying on her back, eyes closed and legs splayed out. Isolate her from the rest of the group. After you have mixed the appropriate concentrations of corrid, use a syringe with a curved tip to gently drip the medicated water into her beak. Repeat that a few times today. Most likely she will swallow it willingly. Not too much at a time...you do not want her to aspirate (into her lungs. The treatment is very effective. I also syringed plain yogurt into her beak, but some say not to do that, but I figured it gave her a little nourishment. Make sure to the water for the rest of your babies and switch to unmedicated feed while they are being treated.

 

[discoveregg]

The chick was dead when I returned home from the store

I've taken the necessary measures suggested on this thread. The remaining chicks seem to be just fine

Thanks everyone!