gaping baby chick

[chuckachucka]

Ok so Popcorn is now 45 hours since hatch and I'm still worried about him. I have minimal experience with raising baby chicks because I've mostly used broody hens, so maybe I'm just being a worrywart.
Anyway this little chick seems to do nothing all day. He just hangs out under the heat lamp either sleeping or standing around and never seems to go toward the food or water dishes that I have placed right next to the edges of the heat lamp. Several times a day since yesterday I have been getting him out and feeding him some softened chick crumbs on my fingertip and putting his beak tip into water. This way he eats ok but seems to have zero interest in water. I've sprinkled crumbs on the floor of the brooder which he pecks at occasionally but can't seem to grab well, which is why I have wetted the crumbs I feed him by hand. He is tiny though so it could be that they are too big for him.

Unfortunately I live in England and there is nobody selling baby chicks this time of year, so I can't get him a friend. Is his behaviour due to being alone do you think? Is it weakness? He stands well and can walk if I put him down and encourage him to walk toward my hands. He's just not active or curious the way a chick should be.

 

[chickens really]

You have to peep and use you finger like a beak to guide it to the feed and water..Peck around in the feed with your finger.

 

[chuckachucka]

You have to peep and use you finger like a beak to guide it to the feed and water..Peck around in the feed with your finger.

I think I made a big mistake in doing this with the moistened food and holding the chick in my lap whilst feeding it on my fingertip. Now Popcorn has no interest in the dry crumbles and water dishes inside the brooder. I tried tapping at the bowls and making my 'come for food' imitation mother hen noise and the little fuzzball comes running toward my hand...then gets confused. Where's the nice soft food on the fingertip, I swear he is thinking. Should I just stop feeding him by hand and keep showing him the food and water dishes in the brooder, and hope he gets it eventually? Surely he won't starve himself to death waiting to be hand fed...?

 

[chuckachucka]

I definitely think I will be waiting for one of my hens to go broody the next time I want more chicks.

I just HAD to buy eggs in February, didn't I. I shouldn't be allowed on ebay...so much temptation...

 

[chickens really]

I think I made a big mistake in doing this with the moistened food and holding the chick in my lap whilst feeding it on my fingertip. Now Popcorn has no interest in the dry crumbles and water dishes inside the brooder. I tried tapping at the bowls and making my 'come for food' imitation mother hen noise and the little fuzzball comes running toward my hand...then gets confused. Where's the nice soft food on the fingertip, I swear he is thinking. Should I just stop feeding him by hand and keep showing him the food and water dishes in the brooder, and hope he gets it eventually? Surely he won't starve himself to death waiting to be hand fed...?

Is he on paper towels?..try that and sprinkle feed on the towel and peep..Stop the wet feed.. dip his beak in the water and cluck and peep as you do it..

 

[chuckachucka]

Thanks. I'm going to have to be stubborn with him about this. No more soft food!

 

[chickens really]

Thanks. I'm going to have to be stubborn with him about this. No more soft food!

Best wishes..Put dry on your finger if needed?

 

[sroy]

Thanks for you great advice about the paper towels instead of shavings. He was definitely trying to eat them, so I have swapped them out.
The temperature was too high after all, so I have adjusted it to be 90 on floor level under the lamp. There has been no gaping since and little Popcorn has been eating a tiny bit of chick crumbs softened with water and drinking some.

Here is Popcorn (sorry for the bad photo quality):

Popcorn...I love that! It's just to cute!! Adorable baby!!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

He's just not active or curious the way a chick should be.

I think you are right to be concerned. I agree that I do things like drop pieces of feed to encourage them, even for chicks under a broody if she hasn't gotten with the program yet. And imitate a mom's food call "look babe, look" in a kind of fast higher pitch. To encourage water... I hold them in my hand and drip a drop just below the nostrils. when it rolls around they gobble and swallow. The back of the head faces my thumb and the beak rests in the bend of my middle knuckle. My finger helps to capture the drops and direct back to the beak what get's a way without chick response. I do this directly with bird vitamin (or baby with NO iron).

This chick is showing classic failure to thrive symptoms in my experience. Even a single chick (my Christmas eve hatch) that has no genetic issues will thrive as an individual and mad peep every time you leave it's sight and peck at things laying around even if not ingesting them. Single chicks are definitely the hardest in my experience. But you are trying your best and that's all you can do!

I used to raise all my birds on fermented feed from day 1 which is wet. They still had to drink water. Some birds just require extra help for whatever reason. Since it wasn't an assisted hatch.. I would keep trying for a little while longer. It's yolk should be running low soon, so hopefully it will quickly adapt... I would probably keep up with the wet feed on the finger, but hold it near the other feed (which I simply lay on the paper towel until all are eating and scratching before moving into a dish) and the drop pieces of the wet feed onto the dry feed to encourage pecking of the dry feed. Sometimes colorful marbles or something shiny can help, either for feed or water. And definitely crush the dry feed for now, it's worth a try.

Come on little Popcorn!