Day old chick ate scrambled egg! Panic? **UPDATE - sick chick HELP!**

[cheeps4u]

Chickens love to eat chicken more than anything. Put a baked chicken carcass in there and they will pick it clean.

Scrambled eggs is one of the best foods for little chicks that aren't very strong....I mean after all, they just absorbed one.

 

[caralouise1974]

Oh dear, we've got a bit of a situation...

The stronger chick is running around in the run with Henny just fine, but when I went out a couple of hours ago the weaker one was face down in the litter almost dead. I scooped it up and brought it inside - the poor thing was absolutely freezing.

After a rest on top of our radiator and some drops of water she's back - eyes still not opening much and not very keen to come up off her hocks, but cheeping away loudly and standing up erect when you handle her. She just seems a little weak. (Unfortunately, her strength caught me unawares and when she struggled she fell out of my hands and bounced off the radiator and onto our carpet. I hope she's none the worse for her three foot tumble.)

Anyways, what should I do to help her along and when should I put her back with Henny?

I daren't do it yet, as she'll be back to square one (ie dead on the floor of the run) within a few minutes (its a very cold damp day here, for August, although the other chick seems to be coping with it just fine). I need to wait until she can open her eyes and run about with the other chick don't I? How long might that be, if she's just a little weak because she hatched 24 hours later? And what do I do if Henny doesn't accept her?

Arrrggghhh! It wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't trying to look after my own month old baby (who is colicky and won't be put down) at the same time. I don't know which way to turn!

 

[Chickn chick 46]

Do you have a brooder box with a light that could help keep the chick warm?

 

[caralouise1974]

Nope, I swore that I would not intervene if momma didn't look after all the babies! So I don't have anything to help me care for the little mite!

 

[WingingIt]

How about a box/plastic storage bin and a regular desk or floor lamp? You can use a regular light in a pinch, you've just got to make sure that the light is at one end and the other end is left alone so that they can move to it if they get too hot. Right now you need to make sure it's warm. Add some sugar to the water you're giving it, too. Gatorade would be great if you have any. You can wet some chick starter with yogurt or water to get it really thin so you can feed it that to get some nutrients in it, too.

 

[lavacaw]

What about a desk lamp that you could put over a large bowl with the chick in it to stay warm. That might be a good temporary fix.

 

[caralouise1974]

Okay I have it in a plastic ice cream tub on top of an old tea towel with an anglepoise lamp pointing at one end. It has stopped cheeping so forlornly but is no worse or better than before. It seems to be hanging back on its hocks still, so I tried the old 'band-aid to hold the legs together' thing, just in case it has spraddle legs. Not much improvement sadly.

It also seems to be making a clicking noise when it breathes and it's eyes seem to be swollen shut underneath, almost as if the sinuses are affected (ie I'm thinking mycoplasma).

It could be so many things couldn't it?

Anyway, I'm resolved to put it back under the broody this evening after dark, no matter what, and let nature take its course.

 

[caralouise1974]

Okay, chick is back under broody. She welcomed it back with open wings and even broke up some food to offer it, but of course it wasn't able to eat it.

If it survives the night I'll be amazed, but it's better off spending the night with her and its sibling than in front of our radiator alone and unhappy. Poor mite.