Chicks that don't thrive...what do you do? Fairly Urgent...

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I have a tiny little bantam cochin chick that looks like she is not thriving. The first few days she seemed ok, pecking around at the starter and I made sure to dip her beak several times. She's in a brooder with 6 other chicks the same age (within 36 hours) and breed. Yesterday, I noticed that she was keeping her eyes closed a lot and was very light when I picked her up. I'm thinking she hasn't been drinking or eating much for some reason. No symptoms of any kind...no pasty butt, etc.

I mixed up some sugar water and every 1-2 hours we are alternating feeding her (as best one can without drowning it) sugar water and egg yolk. Today she seems to be a little bit perkier and stronger.

My question is...what do you guys do for chicks like this? I know I'm not the only one to experience it!

 

[jackiedon]

We had one and we seperated her with a buddy. We just constantly dipping her beak and getting her to eat. Last winter she had a rough time so we brought her in the house and feed her warm oatmeal. She started laying and went back outside in the spring. THen this summer her "buddy" a rooster pecked her continiously on the head and she started to have seizures and died.

My DD was so mad at that rooster she went and put it in the road hoping it would get ran over. He's still around but the turkeys give him fits.

jackie

 

[lockedhearts]

I think you are doing all you can, honestly I think the bantam ones sometimes have it harder because they are smaller. The only other thing I can think of is some Poly Vi Sol, use a drop or two a couple times a day.

 

[Katy]

I guess I've become what most people would consider hard-hearted about chicks like this. I don't cull them right away, but if after a couple of days of vitamins and extra care in feeding they aren't making a big turn around I cull them. I use to try and save each one but it seemed like too often they ended up dying anyway. I don't like doing it, but too often you're just postponing the inevitable.

 

[setter4]

Try seperating her from the rest and giving her a little scrambled egg and maybe some pedialite.

 

[klf73]

I have had it happen twice, like this anyway (there were others) and I tried giving them water and vitamins but it seems to me when they start acting like this they already quit

. Mine died within 24 hrs. Sorry it's not doing well

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I would go and get some Vitamins and Electrolytes. I had a baby duck that would barely move, I would keep dipping her beak in concentrated vitamin water, and then within 2 hours, it was a whole new duck.

 

[lauralou]

I had a chick that didn't seem to grow as fast as she should. I'm not sure the problem was as severe as yours.

Anyway, I took her out of the brooder several times a day and hand fed her moistened chick crumbles. It was a long time before she caught up with her sisters, even with the extra attention. But at least I knew she was eating...

 

[Katy]

I just had a thought....When I used to have some bantams I would have to grind the starter crumble.....the unground stuff was just too big for them. Have you tried that?

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Quote:
No...but that's a great idea. I'll do that this afternoon. Today she seems a little bit stronger. I'm going to take home an IV catheter from work and use it to insert into her mouth to put the egg yolk in. I'll add some of the ground starter to the egg yolk and dextrose and put about .1cc in her mouth through the catheter.

I think she is just so small that she is having a hard time eating and getting to the water...even though I cut down a plastic bottle and made a dish that is only about 1/2 inch high. Heck, she is only about 1 inch high herself.

We are dipping her beak every 1-2 hours and she IS drinking. Now we just need to be sure and get food into her.