EMERGENCY! mommy and baby in distress

[Lisa202]

the baby just hatched on tues and was fine. this morning the mommy laid 2 poos the size of an egg with stuff in it like straw etc., then laid the biggest poop iv'e seen. It looked like my Labs poo...meanwhile, the baby who seemed fine 10 minutes ago, seems to be floundering with it's feet out to it's side unable to stand. mommy is frantic with the poop problem. I dipped it's beak in water and she's still not doing anything. what do i do???

 

[Lisa202]

The baby died. I tried to give it sugar water, but it was already to weak to drink. This little thing died within minutes.

Does anyone know what could have happened? If the baby hadn't eaten yet (4 days old) would it just die so quickly like that? Like I said in the previous post, it was fine 10 minutes earlier; peeping and hobbling around and all. The only thing that I see different than the other chicks I got in the mail (last Sept) was that this chick was a lot smaller than they were at the same age. But if this little chick was sickly, would it go from being alive and fine to dead in 10 minutes? Or maybe...could the mommy have injured it somehow during her pooping problems? She was quite frantic and scratching at the ground and making holes and stuff in the nest where the baby was. I actually thought that she was trying to lay an egg. I was watching and didn't see the baby get stepped on, but I guess it could have happened.

Should I have taken the baby and dipped it's beak in water after 2 days and made sure it was eating? I put water and chick started in little bowls in the nest with them...I figured that the mommy would take care of that. Now I feel that I should have intervened but I knew that the yoke was good for 3 days...right? It took 3 days in the mail and they were fine. If she died b/c she was sickly then I can accept that, but if it was my fault, I feel awful.

 

[terrilhb]

I don't know the answer. But I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

x's 2

 

[ChooksChick]

It's very common for Mommas to have HUGE poops, as they hold it during the broody process. You'll find a lot about broody poop on the forum.

With the scratching and frantic behavior, she was likely trying to show the chick how to eat and encouraging it to find food- that's how they teach. I hope she didn't step on it, but it could be that the baby wasn't well. Often you'll find out on day 4 or 5 as the yolk runs out.

I'm very sorry.

 

[piccolini]

I have had chicks do that to me. It is called "Failure to Thrive" and some chicks are just never meant to live