Droopy Dorking Chick - newbie needs advice please

[Purple Iris]

Hi all, this was originally posted in the Dorking thread last night, but someone there suggested posting it here too. Initial post from Tuesday night approx. 11pm, and a few updates from this morning.

Hi there, as a new member I'm hoping to take full advantage of the wealth of experience amongst other members - sorry this is a long post, hope that's OK, I wanted to give all info that may be relevant as I have just 1 weeks experience of looking after very young chicks.

I went to take pictures this evening as suggested by earlier respondents to my 'how old is my dorking chick' question. Sadly our little Dorking (whom we named Pixie) is really looking as if she feels awful. She looks really 'droopy' is holding her eyes closed a lot, then she has spurts of activity, moving round the tote as usual, eating chick crumbs, drinking the water, and passing normal, formed stool. Because I was concerned that she didn't seem to be growing, or getting any more feathers growing in I have been weighing them for a few days Pixie the Dorking = Mon 6/21 116g, Tue 119g, Wed 118g and this evening 107g!

The Wyandotte (named Fern) on the other hand is thriving, she has loads of new feathers, color change on top of her head, and is growing very fast Mon 6/21 205g, Tue 213g, Wed 233g, tonight 240g.

Initially when they came home, 1 week ago, she was just a touch bigger, now she dwarfs Pixie, we have 2 bowls of chick crumbs set up so there's not too much competition when they eat - Pixie tries to eat alongside Fern, whose bigger body often bumps her out the way, so then Pixie will eat from the other bowl. I tried leaving Fern in the cat carrier I pop them into while I clean the tote tonight, hoping to give Pixie a head start at the fresh food, but she only took a few pieces before realizing she was alone and making the most panicky peep noises, so I reunited them quickly.

I was unsure about their ages when we first brought them home, because the Dorking are listed as hatching in the week of 5/15, so that would make her approx. 5.5 - 6 weeks old now. Meanwhile the Silver Laced Wyandottes were from the week of May 22nd, so you'd think those chicks would be smaller than the Dorkings.

I'm sure some of you have experience with sick chicks. Given that she's eating well, but losing weight, would you suspect parasites? Her stool has been formed all week that she's been here, no blood seen. If parasites are a possibility, what kind of dewormer would you recommend? To make sure she is warm, I have a heat disc underneath the base of the tote, and lined a small box with fleece and made a little chicken hot water bottle, by heating uncooked rice in a sports sock in the microwave - something I used to do for my foster kittens. She was standing in the box leaning aganst that when I last checked (she often sleeps standing up with her head tucked behind her, under a wing, rather than lying in the shavings like the Wyandotte does).

Is there a possibility she could be a lot younger, and we should have her under a heat lamp? (Currently we just have the tote under a strip light as we were advised that at 5 weeks they needed some light for reassurance, but not for heat). Or do you think genetically maybe she is just not too healthy, and so not thriving, given that she really hasn't gained weight?

Any advice welcome, I have emailed the farm that we got them from asking for any advice too, but they are busy and request you allow 24 hours for a response.

I'm sending you a few photos, as, after all these years I'm sure you've seen chicks in all kinds of condition and may see something to indicate why Pixie is fading.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions, I did offer some natural yoghurt, but she wasn't keen, went back to the chick crumbs. I have seen probiotics and electrolytes recommended in other threads, any particular brand I should look out for - if she makes it through the night....

First pic is from 1 week ago, all the others were taken this evening

















Weds- 7am - Pixie is still with us, still peeping away (usual for her) wings look a lot droopier, almost touching the ground, but same as yesterday she has spells of activity, is eating and drinking, then falls asleep where she's standing. I got a better feeder and she did well with her chick crumbs this morning. She passed some stool, which was paler than usual, but more formed that the ones she did last night, and I did not see any blood.




Weds 10.30am - I made it to the local feed store, they had nutridrench and Sulmet, so I picked those up in case the advice is to use those products. I am going to try again with some natural yoghurt to get some probiotics into her system.

(I am being a little paranoid thinking people will be wondering why I'm getting so anxious (wasting my time?) about 1 little chick who obviously isn't thriving, and may not make it. But we have just 2 adult chickens, who have been here for a year. I did a lot of research on breeds, monitored the hatching dates at the place that was recommended to me. Altered my work schedule to get there and pick up 2 new chicks - took my husband on this mystery tour then presented him with his 'birthday girls'. She is not just 1 chick from multiple batches we will we raising, she's one of 2 new pets I guess. If she makes it!)

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
(PS - I still have no idea how old Pixie actually is if anyone can tell me what they think)

 

[GitaBooks]

Don't worry, I'm just as concerned about all my chickens too. I do everything I can to help them, so you are doing the right thing.

I'm glad to hear she is eating and drinking still, even if she does look droopy. Try getting some vitamins into her. Scramble some eggs, that is a good source of vitamins. If they are on starter, try switching them to grower.

My chicks were fully feathered by around a month of age, so your dorking is probably around 3-5 weeks of age. Chickens feather out quicker in cooler temperatures.

Some breeds grow faster than others and feather out quicker. Its all according to genetics.

I would would treat her for parasites, especially coccidia. Sleeping standing up is a sign of sickness, she could have an infection. Is her crop always empty or always full? Is she wheezing, her breathing coming with a click, or her eyes or nose running? I would suggest adding the heat-light back in, just to be safe, as she isn't fully feathered yet.

Genetically some chickens are weaker than others, but since she has lasted so long I don't think it is that.


Best of luck! Hope she gets better!

 

[Purple Iris]

Don't worry, I'm just as concerned about all my chickens too. I do everything I can to help them, so you are doing the right thing.

I'm glad to hear she is eating and drinking still, even if she does look droopy. Try getting some vitamins into her. Scramble some eggs, that is a good source of vitamins. If they are on starter, try switching them to grower.

My chicks were fully feathered by around a month of age, so your dorking is probably around 3-5 weeks of age. Chickens feather out quicker in cooler temperatures.

Some breeds grow faster than others and feather out quicker. Its all according to genetics.

I would would treat her for parasites, especially coccidia. Sleeping standing up is a sign of sickness, she could have an infection. Is her crop always empty or always full? Is she wheezing, her breathing coming with a click, or her eyes or nose running? I would suggest adding the heat-light back in, just to be safe, as she isn't fully feathered yet.

Genetically some chickens are weaker than others, but since she has lasted so long I don't think it is that.


Best of luck! Hope she gets better!

Thanks for your helpful response, I did find some meds for coccidia, but couldn't get corid - out of stock at all 3 Tractor Supply Stores within 25 miles of home (anyone who has info on another stockiest in Buffalo NY area, please let me know!). So I had to get Sulmet, which I have been reading a lot of people warning is sometimes a little harsh for small chicks.

Rushing to head into work until 9pm, but she did have a drop of nutridrench, some natural yoghurt, plenty more chick crumbs and some honey water just now, and popped her back on her warmed items to rest. Can offer eggs and check the other things you suggested tonight.

 

[Purple Iris]

Thanks to those who gave me advice, sadly little Pixie our Dorking chick did not make it, she died overnight Thursday.

I went back to the farm Friday evening after work, for a new companion for the remaining Wyandotte chick, who was quite frantic and noisy at being alone for the first time in her life. We looked at the remaining Dorking chicks - who were thriving, had breast feathers, almost fully feathered shoulders. They confirmed they only hatched 1 batch of Dorkings, on May 18th, so Pixie was almost 6 weeks old, just stopped growing at around 3 weeks. Guess the chick they picked for me was in the 'failure to thrive' %. Even when she was so weak and wobbly at the end, she was enthusiastically eating scrambled egg, and passing normal stool.

I had assumed I would get another Dorking, but when I looked at them it just felt overwhelmingly sad, so we went to look at my backup breed choice, Partridge Rock chicks, hatched at the end of May. Well this little lady was ready to move on, she had flapped up out of the chick pen, squeezed through a gap in the trellis covering the pen, and was perched on the wall, looking at the big wide world. She is a little smaller than the Wyandotte, but is feisty enough to handle that!

Welcome home 'Honey' - (especially pleased they love this wooden box that I found at a charity shop for $2, they are learning to roost on it, and makes clean up much easier!)

 

[GitaBooks]

I'm really sorry about your chick.

I'm glad your new one is happy though! I have a partridge rock named Shirley (after the Partridge Family mother)

. She is full of energy and so much fun to watch.