Doesmy new baby have mushy chick disease or something else?

[JenE]

Hi, I just acquired 6 Gold- and Silver- laced Wyandottes from a neighbor who ordered them from McMurray's. They arrived yesterday morning. Last night I was having trouble regulating the temp in my brooder, but seems to be a steady 96 degrees now. One chick out of the 6 is laying down, hardly moving. I gave her some sugar water and she drank it, but she doesn't seem to be doing any better this morning. One thing I've noticed is a very loud and strange 'crackling' sort of noise coming from her back end.
I'm feeding them non-medicated chick starter, and I've been religiously changing the paper towel bedding in the brooder, and also keeping the water clean and fresh.
Any ideas? The noise is scaring me...if she's got mushy chick she's probably very very sick...what do I do at this point? Wait? If I have to cull, how do you do it at 3 days old?
Thank you!

 

[JenE]

SHE'S DYING...how do I put her out of her misery??

 

[hoosier]

So sorry you are going through this.
I believe the quickest, surest method is to cut her head off if you have never done it before.

 

[luvmychicknkids]

I am so sorry she is sick.

Sometimes when you get new chicks, you will have a weak one that just doesn't make it.

I lost two out of my last shipment. I am sorry, I have to ask, I have never heard of "mushy chick disease"?

 

[JenE]

Thanks, everyone...

Mushy chick disease is also called "navel ill"...the correct term is omphalitis

 

[chicklady63]

I've heard that one method is to put them in the freezer in a little bowl and let them "go to sleep". I don't know - it all sounds hard to me, but thought I would mention this to you. I've personally never done it and don't know if I could. But I know that I could not cut the head off even though this is probably a very quick and humane way to do it. Just not able to myself.

Take care.

 

[Wynette]

Putting a chick in the freezer to freeze to death, IMO, is inhumane. The quickest and least painful and least stressful for them is to remove their heads. I know it sounds gorry, but it truly is the best way. Put a towel over her head and use a SHARP pair of scissors and snip off. This way, you do not have to look at her. I'm so sorry!

 

[silkiechicken]

Yes, sharp set of kitchen shears, fast and "easy". Don't freeze, that would set the whole body into shock and survival response before getting hypothermic and dying. Just because you can't see the suffering behind the door, doesn't mean it is better for them.

 

[JenE]

Well, I was able to do it. I just wish I knew what was wrong with her. How large should a gizzard be in a 3-day old chick? I didn't take pictures but I did look...everything looked normal. No odor, nothing that looked out of the ordinary.

Does anyone have any ideas on the strange crackling noise emenating from her back end every minute or so?

 

[silkiechicken]

The gizzard is probably the size of an eraser tip, the crop though could be up to the size of a shooter marble on a real hungry chick, but more the size of a normal marble usually.

Don't fret too much, failure to thrive is pretty common in young chicks. Some things just don't get developed right while in the eggs.