Emergency! Baby chick isn’t moving, gasping to breath… so weak

[wolfeflock]

Hi, we got 12 chicks on Friday afternoon. So I think she’s about 5 days old. She was fine last night but this morning when I went to check on them she wasn’t moving and seems so sad. She isn’t chirping or moving, eyes are staying closed and she’s just gasping(?) every couple seconds.

I tried to give her a couple drops of sugar water but she isn’t really drinking it. Her crop might feel doughy ? I can’t tell. I’m holding her and trying to keep her warm but she still feels too cold…

She’s eating a chick starter and I’ve added chick grit sprinkled on top the last two days. They have a heat plate style brooder. And I added pine shavings for the first time to the brooder yesterday.

Idk If I can save her but I’m willing to try. I’ve never lost a chick and the others all seem fine.

 

[LizzzyJo]

I’m so sorry. Keep her away from the others. She’s likely not going to make it. Sometimes we never learn the cause. For the others give them chick saving electrolytes, gro gel, and cooked or raw egg yolk.

 

[azygous]

Warm a hand towel in the dryer. Take the chick and wrap it in the warm towel. If this revives the chick and it can hold its head up, give it the warmed sugar water. If you have Poultry Nutri-drench, put a few drops in the sugar water. Be sure it's warmed to a temp to about what you would warm milk for an infant.

Give the water by oral syringe or eye dropper into the right side of the beak and under the tongue. This avoids the airway since the airway is in the center of the throat on top of the tongue. Got that?

If the chick does not regain consciousness after being warmed in the towel, it is going to die in the next few hours. But I've seen chicks make a miraculous recovery following these steps.

 

[wolfeflock]

I’m so sorry. Keep her away from the others. She’s likely not going to make it. Sometimes we never learn the cause. For the others give them chick saving electrolytes, gro gel, and cooked or raw egg yolk.

I’ll be sure to add that to the other chicks water, so hard to watch.

 

[wolfeflock]

Warm a hand towel in the dryer. Take the chick and wrap it in the warm towel. If this revives the chick and it can hold its head up, give it the warmed sugar water. If you have Poultry Nutri-drench, put a few drops in the sugar water. Be sure it's warmed to a temp to about what you would warm milk for an infant.

Give the water by oral syringe or eye dropper into the right side of the beak and under the tongue. This avoids the airway since the airway is in the center of the throat on top of the tongue. Got that?

If the chick does not regain consciousness after being warmed in the towel, it is going to die in the next few hours. But I've seen chicks make a miraculous recovery following these steps.

Okay, I’ll try all of those things. Thank you for responding!

 

[wolfeflock]

Update: she didn’t make it. Is there any theories about what might’ve went wrong?

 

[azygous]

The poor, sad little thing. I'm sorry.

A likely scenario would be that it got pushed out from under the heat and got so chilled that it lost consciousness and couldn't get back under the heat or reach the feeder. But feel its crop. If the crop is large and hard, like an unripe plum, it died of impacted crop and constipation.

 

[Soonermagic254]

Update: she didn’t make it. Is there any theories about what might’ve went wrong?

RIP little chick.
not the best genes life is a struggle. best of luck with the rest of the flock