Chick panting & weak

[Alfy]

Hi all, we have 7 chicks now 8 days old and all are fine apart from one who started panting yesterday in the brooder and has gone weaker by the hour, she is barely moving this morning, we have gave her drops of water with a little sugar via a syringe and she did take a bit bit is still laying flat down eyes closed panting,
As a precaution we have moved her to a separate brooder but wonder if anyone has any advice or come across these symptoms before,

We are new to chickens but do realise that unfortunately some chicks don't make it to adults but just feel a little helpless for her.

 

[Leslieb118]

What is the temperature in the brooder? For chicks 8 days old, it should be 90 degrees aiming for a temp of 85 by the time they're 2 weeks old. Is there enough room in the brooder to get away from the heat lamp? It's possible that the chick is hot..they need to be able to get away from the heat if they need to. If they're huddled together under the lamp they're cold. If they're at the opposite end of the brooder far away from the lamp, they're hot. It sounds to me that the chick is too hot. If the brooder is too warm, move the heat lamp up some and measure the temp at floor level until you get it to 85-90 degrees. You want to go down 5 degrees every week. Good luck and I hope your little chick pulls through!

 

[CorinneP]

I was going to ask about heat too.

 

[Alfy]

Thanks Leslie,

Just checked the temperature and its 92 degrees on floor level, the other chicks sit under the lamp but only huddle together now and then, they are all very active each time I go in the shed happily chirping and wandering around the brooder following what I do when changing water and feed etc,

The ill chick just doesnt seem to have any energy, she is still panting weather under the lamp or in the shade and is just lay flat on the floor, I cant help wonder if she has some respiratory problem or infection causing her to breathe heavy,

Is there anything I can try and give her to help !

 

[fried green eggs]

You could try to get some gator-aid or plain yogurt into her. I would raise the heat lamp and try to get temp down to around 85 degs. Good luck. Hope she makes it.

 

[Leslieb118]

You can try a little more sugar water in the syringe to try to get her energy up, but I wouldn't force it down her. See if you can just put a drop on her beak and try to get her to drink it. You don't want to force it in the wrong place or she could aspirate. But if you have to, you might search here for the proper place to position a syringe for feeding, as I'm not sure of that one myself. If you can get her to drink, you can try some PolyViSol (NO IRON) baby vitamins by dropper. You can find those at any pharmacy or grocery store in the baby aisle. You can scramble an egg up and try to get her to eat some of that, but I'd think the main concern right now would be fluids to get her energy up enough to even want to try to eat. Other than those things, I'm not too sure what to tell you. Hopefully someone else will pop online that can offer a few more ideas. Sometimes chicks just don't make it and we don't know why, but we do our best to try to save them! I've been there and it's hard!

 

[Leslieb118]

You could try to get some gator-aid or plain yogurt into her. I would raise the heat lamp and try to get temp down to around 85 degs. Good luck. Hope she makes it.

Both of those are good suggestions as well!

 

[Alfy]

Ok will try your suggestions,

I dont hold much hope for her but will certainly try our best,

Thanks for your help

 

[Leslieb118]

That's all you can do. You're doing fine. Sometimes things happen that we have no answers for. Good luck and please keep us posted!

 

[Alfy]

Hi just an update !

We kept the chick seperated and brought her in doors and lowered the temp to 85 degrees, we syringe fed water and sugar mix at least every 2 hours but didnt force her just touched tip of beak with a drop each time and she drank it till she turned away as if she had enough, she wouldnt take any type of food though so just kept up the water regular,

Anyway we arose this morning to a chirping little active chick, her food bowl had been disturbed as if she had been eating so carried on with the syringe and this afternoon went in to a right little chirper stood up drinking on her own and even eating from the bowl and pecking around

,

She is still panting a little but looks an awful lot better and active so we are hoping she is on the mend, going to keep her seperated for a few days more in hope she makes a full recovery so time will tell,

Thanks again for the advice given, much appreciated