day old chick

[mlove]

I have a silkie chick that hatched around 7am yesterday. It is super tiny and seems weak. It does not open it's eyes much and although it does not seem to have trouble walking it acts very sleepy. It even stands with it's eyes closed. The chick is dry but not fulffy but that may be caused by the gunk and blood that was in it's egg. I used warm water twice to help get some of the crusty stuff off it's eye area. It's poop looked normal. It drank a few swallows of water but unless I hold it the chick does not move much and only chirps. All advice on what I can do is greatly appreciated.

 

[AndreaS]

I would try dipping its beak in a little sugar water solution every hour or so. Be careful not to submerge its nostrils. Also, scramble an egg and then chop it very fine in the food processor to see if you can entice it to eat. At the drug store or wal mart you can pick up some poly-vi-sol baby vitamins WITHOUT IRON. Give it one drop dribbled along its beak line twice a day. If it is getting picked on or trampled, you will need to move it to its own brooder box with its own heat lamp. Make sure it can get under the heat and away from it if it needs to. Once the little one is drinking on its own... .put a tiny splash of apple cider vinegar in its water.

I had two weak chicks and the above techniques worked for me.
Goodluck!
Andrea

 

[mlove]

Thanks so much! I am giving it sugar water and it is being housed alone since it's so much smaller than my other chick. I'll go shopping for the vitamins now.

 

[AndreaS]

No problem! I hope the little one makes it.
Keep us updated!

 

[mlove]

Poor baby passed late last night.

I'm sad it did not make it but glad that it did not suffer.

 

[AndreaS]

I'm so sorry!

You're right, at least it didn't suffer for long and you did what you could. I think some chicks are just born too weak to make it.