Failure to thrive in very young chick

[Steampunked]

Hey folks.

I have a 3-4 day old silkie chick who seems very drowsy and who is absolutely tiny - a fraction of the size of even the other silkies. I now realise that her egg was tiny too. All of my other chicks are very active and talkative, and play with the toys I put into their brooder - this one prefers the company of the heat lamp, and I seem to have to feed and water it by hand. It wants to do nothing more than snuggle me if I pick it up, and seems lethargic. No visible other issues, but I suspect the lethargy is due to lack of energy to even eat much.

So far I've gathered that honey and water can be good (but in what proportion?) and that chopped boiled egg yolk can help give energy too. What else in home remedies would people recommend? Is there a vitamin mix I could find in Melbourne that folks know of?

I'm not home during the days, as I work in the inner city and have a 3-4 hour travel total each day. The reason why I note home remedies is that I can buy honey at Southern Cross Station, but probably not much else...I know it's not a great situation, but I'd like to try giving the chick some kind of fighting chance.

 

[Eggcessive]

This chick sounds very weak, and you will probably need to get it to take some electrolytes and vitamin water, and continue dipping it's beak into the water all day long to hopefully get it strong enough to eat and drink on it's own. It may not make it since it is so weak, but if you could get someone else to do the beak dipping while you are at work, it may have a chance. Here is a link for chick vitamins in Australia, but electrolytes are mainly what the chick needs now until doing better. Homemade electrolytes are below. Here is a link to an avian vet clinic in Melbourne who advertises vitamins:
http://planetpoultry.com.au/healthcare/136-soluvet-vtamin-powder-450gm-vetafarm.html
http://www.melbournebirdvet.com/more-detailed-product-information.aspx

HOMEMADE ELECTROLYTE SOLUTION
1/2 teaspoon salt substitute*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 gallon water

 

[Steampunked]

Well, the news is that electrolytes, boiled egg yolk and a few beak fulls of fermented feed that I'd been preparing helped a tonne. While it is still so teeny, half the size of the other silkies, the rehydration and yolk gave it enough energy to suddenly get very, very hungry. It even fought the large breed chicks away from the food and ran up and down the brooder yelling if they got near its feed tray.

It ate quite a lot of yolk and some feed and is now asleep again, but seems less pathetic and more just resting, so thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

That is great news. I hope the little chick starts to thrive.