HELP!! Day old chick won't stop shivering

maddogdodge

Songster
6 Years
Apr 27, 2014
332
37
146
Australia
Okay guys, i need help urgently. I brought my chicks home, long story short, one didn't look as healthy as the others so i checked for 'pasty butt' as they call it. I saw what i thought was pasty butt (this is my first time with newborn chicks) So i got a cloth with warm water and washed her bum area. I soon realised that the clump of stuff is infact the umbilical cord, not poo. So i put some olive oil on her bum area and dried her off the best i could with a towel and put her with the other chicks. She's now not walking around, the others aren't interested in huddling with her and she's shivering. She stopped chirping loudly, but she is definitely cold and i don't know how to warm her up other than keep her in the brooder. Is she going to be okay? I really don't want to loose her!! Anyone had this kind of situation before, or know how i could warm her up faster?

ANY advice as soon as possible would be greatly appreciated!!!
 
Okay guys, i need help urgently. I brought my chicks home, long story short, one didn't look as healthy as the others so i checked for 'pasty butt' as they call it. I saw what i thought was pasty butt (this is my first time with newborn chicks) So i got a cloth with warm water and washed her bum area. I soon realised that the clump of stuff is infact the umbilical cord, not poo. So i put some olive oil on her bum area and dried her off the best i could with a towel and put her with the other chicks. She's now not walking around, the others aren't interested in huddling with her and she's shivering. She stopped chirping loudly, but she is definitely cold and i don't know how to warm her up other than keep her in the brooder. Is she going to be okay? I really don't want to loose her!! Anyone had this kind of situation before, or know how i could warm her up faster?

ANY advice as soon as possible would be greatly appreciated!!!
Try warm water with a spoonful of regular sugar or some plain yogurt if you have some The warm water will get her warm and the sugar will help with energy This is what I have done and it works
 
After bathing them sometimes they do shiver for just a while until they get warm again under the light. I find it helpful to use a blow dryer to dry them off very cautiously so as not to overheat them for just a minute or so and then put them under the lamp.

What is the temperature under your light?

Make sure you have your brooder within recommended temps of 90-95 during the first week of life and decrease by 5 degrees per week until fully feathered even on the head, usually around 6 weeks.

Under your light can be warmer than 90-95 but only if they have room to move away from the heat. They should always be able to move to a cooler spot in the brooder. If your brooder is very small, like a rubbermaid tote then keep very very careful tabs on the temps and watch the chicks carefully to make sure they are comfortable. If they are huddling under the light they are cold.

So if your babies are all under the light then make it warmer. Hopefully this helps and your little one warms up. :)
 
Thanks all of you for your ideas, I'll definitely be trying the warm water one. I don't live close to shops so i can't get into town today to buy drops for her
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My brooder is just under 1m by 1m, so it has plenty of room for 6 tiny chicks (not when they're older though, haha) The heat source is good at the moment, i've got a thermometer in there and i'm checking it regularly to make sure things are okay. The other chicks look very happy and comfortable, its just the little one which i had to go and put water on didn't I... ugh
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I got a little box and put a warm water bottle in there, and i put her in that under a light for a while. Checked her just now and she's looking a bit better. She's not shivering anywhere near as much as before, just tiny little shakes every now and then. Her feathers are fluffing up again and she's looking a bit more active. She's starting to groom herself a bit and peck around a tiny bit. I haven't seen her drink yet, but i'm going to keep a very close eye on her, and fingers crossed she will be okay
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Hopefully i haven't stressed her to death, poor little thing, what a horrible welcome home for her, and what a silly mistake on my behalf
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Thanks all of you for your ideas, I'll definitely be trying the warm water one. I don't live close to shops so i can't get into town today to buy drops for her
sad.png


My brooder is just under 1m by 1m, so it has plenty of room for 6 tiny chicks (not when they're older though, haha) The heat source is good at the moment, i've got a thermometer in there and i'm checking it regularly to make sure things are okay. The other chicks look very happy and comfortable, its just the little one which i had to go and put water on didn't I... ugh
idunno.gif

I got a little box and put a warm water bottle in there, and i put her in that under a light for a while. Checked her just now and she's looking a bit better. She's not shivering anywhere near as much as before, just tiny little shakes every now and then. Her feathers are fluffing up again and she's looking a bit more active. She's starting to groom herself a bit and peck around a tiny bit. I haven't seen her drink yet, but i'm going to keep a very close eye on her, and fingers crossed she will be okay
fl.gif
Hopefully i haven't stressed her to death, poor little thing, what a horrible welcome home for her, and what a silly mistake on my behalf
barnie.gif
No- I have done that too and so have others...washing it off and realizing that it was the umbilical cord. It is a common thing to do.

Sometimes they just get overly cold after bathing. I am glad she is more comfortable.
 
I have brought quite a few chicks back from the dead with a blow dryer. Least they looked dead. Had a flood last week and several 2 month old chicks flooded out. The worst one was cold, soaking wet, pale & stiff and barely breathing. He couldn't have been any closer to death. 10 minutes with a blow dryer and he was good as new.
 
I have brought quite a few chicks back from the dead with a blow dryer. Least they looked dead. Had a flood last week and several 2 month old chicks flooded out. The worst one was cold, soaking wet, pale & stiff and barely breathing. He couldn't have been any closer to death. 10 minutes with a blow dryer and he was good as new.
Wow, thats amazing!! I'll definitely be keeping that in mind in case the situation ever arrises again
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My chick seems to be doing okay now, she's wandering around a bit more, not shivering any more, seems very content. She's very sleepy though, and still not as active as the others. I'm wondering if she might be a day younger than the others or something. Hopefully tomorrow she will be active and as bright as the others :)
 
I'm not a vet or internet expert so I don't do much chicken doctoring other than basic simple things. I've found if that when I have a weak or droopy chick that separating it and applying warmth works wonders in helping it bounce back to normal. It doesn't take much to chill a just hatched chick and chills are deadly.
The one I was talking about I saved from the flood the other night actually took about 10 minutes of blow dryer before it regained enough life to even shiver violently then about another 10 minutes to get back to normal but it was comatose when I pulled it from the water.
 

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