I found 5 baby chicks. I have seen newly hatched pheasants and these look to be 1 or 2 days old. I saw them walking across a field while I was out walking with my kids and long story short the mother got spooked onto a road.
Got them home and put them in a carboard box with water with pebbles. A heat lamp and some wild food not chicken starter mix. I've rared ducks and chickens from eggs but never pheasants.
In the first 6 hours one of them started stretching its legs out and twisting around and wasn't able to stand and walk. I thought one of the kids had picked it up and dropped it. It lasted about an hour or two but my kids said they never touched it.
By night another chick was on its side with legs stretched out sort of like spinning in circles and twisting. They didn't seem interested in the water or the food. They were running around fine before that. It was very sudden.
It was dead by the morning.
I got up in the morning and remaining chicks were fine running around but never saw them eat or drink. I did some reading and tried to give them some water with syringe but they just shook it off their beak.
They may have eaten or drunk but I never saw it.
That one eventually just lay down and died in an hour or two.
Its so sudden its scary. They are totally fine zooming around then suddenly they look like they have brain damage and cant even stand up and bend and twist all over the place.
I have two left, I don't want to see them die. I thought about letting them go in the long grass but I know they will die, I just don't want to see it. The 3rd one died not long ago.
What could it be?
I don't think its the temperature as it is really warm here right now and the lamp was in a corner so they could get away. They mostly were under it or close so it seemed like the correct temperature.
Could it be shock?
Got them home and put them in a carboard box with water with pebbles. A heat lamp and some wild food not chicken starter mix. I've rared ducks and chickens from eggs but never pheasants.
In the first 6 hours one of them started stretching its legs out and twisting around and wasn't able to stand and walk. I thought one of the kids had picked it up and dropped it. It lasted about an hour or two but my kids said they never touched it.
By night another chick was on its side with legs stretched out sort of like spinning in circles and twisting. They didn't seem interested in the water or the food. They were running around fine before that. It was very sudden.
It was dead by the morning.
I got up in the morning and remaining chicks were fine running around but never saw them eat or drink. I did some reading and tried to give them some water with syringe but they just shook it off their beak.
They may have eaten or drunk but I never saw it.
That one eventually just lay down and died in an hour or two.
Its so sudden its scary. They are totally fine zooming around then suddenly they look like they have brain damage and cant even stand up and bend and twist all over the place.
I have two left, I don't want to see them die. I thought about letting them go in the long grass but I know they will die, I just don't want to see it. The 3rd one died not long ago.
What could it be?
I don't think its the temperature as it is really warm here right now and the lamp was in a corner so they could get away. They mostly were under it or close so it seemed like the correct temperature.
Could it be shock?