Hand Feeding a 4 Week Old Chick

[TroyBlackburn]

I've got a four week old chick that I'm not sure what happened, found her laying in the brooder a couple of days ago and at first it looked like she might be dead, but she was still breathing. She's smaller than most of the other baby chicks, so next I thought she might have been trampled, still possible that's the case. I can't identify any specific injuries, however she's weak and doesn't seem to be eating or drinking on her own, of course making her weaker.

Last night I decided to mix some feed with some water into a paste and then feed her with a food injector type syringe, without the needle of course. She's still with us this morning and she pooped last night for the first time since separating her. She might even seem a bit stronger this morning.

Does anyone have any suggestions regarding how much food I should try and feed her and how often? I obviously want to feed her, not stuff her.

Thank You
Troy

 

[Blooie]

If it's possible, I'd pick up some Nutri-drench and give her some of that. It isn't digested. It goes directly into the blood stream and is a super quick boost of nutrition. Second best would be to try to give her a little sugar water. Some electrolytes wouldn't be out of order here either. If you don't have any on hand, there's a recipe on here for making your own with stuff usually found in any kitchen. You can find it by doing a search up in the box for "homemade electrolyte mix" or something like that. And make sure she's warm. Good luck!

 

[TroyBlackburn]

That's good info, thank you very much! However I could still really use some guidance regarding how much volume if food/water to feed her and how often. I want to make sure she get's enough, but don't want to stuff her like a turkey. She's too weak still to make it to food and water on her own, so I need to come up with a routine of how much, how often.

 

[Folly's place]

Watch her crop; fill it but not to bursting. When it's small again, repeat. Try to hold her up in front of the food and water, she may try to eat or drink with assistance. Try a little applesauce, or honey, or melon, just to interest her in something. Good luck! Mary

 

[TroyBlackburn]

Update regarding the baby chick... She's doing great now, walking around and eating almost as if nothing had been wrong. I'm not sure what happened, I don't know if she got injured and couldn't get to food, or just wasn't getting to food and got so weak that she couldn't get to food. Kind of a "chicken or the egg" situation. I've got 95 baby chicks, all the same age, they have plenty of room, food and water, yet still it would seem that there are some that are getting to food and water more than others, as some, even within the same breed are growing faster than others.

When we first discovered her having an issue, she was laying down, unable to stand and it appeared she might have gotten injured. We immediately separated her, but didn't immediately start hand feeding her. After watching her for a day I realized that she wasn't eating or drinking on her own even when placed right next to food and water. So I hand fed her for a couple of days and now she's up and about, getting stronger all the time and eating just fine.

Thanks for the help!
Troy