HELP HELP- Cold baby chick!!!!

[Margot]

First off, I am fairly new.....never hatched any chicks from eggs in a brooder and the only chicks I ever had were raised by theiir momma. Last week I found a missing bantam hen that I chalked up to hawk dinner. She was sitting on 10 eggs and hatched two of them 4 days ago. I moved her and her two babies into the barn, in a dog crate (large) with straw and wood shavings on the floor. Food, water and everyone was doing fine. This am when I went out there one of the chicks was dead and the other was "crying", peeping alot. I touched him and he felt cool, not warm like usual. The hen kept scratching up the nest and the poor little guy would crawl back in looking for warmth under momma. I was working in the barn and this went on for a couple hours. Finially at about an hour ago, it took him away from her. I read on this list that chicks need to be kept warm and he surely was not. (it was cold here in Michigan alst night and today is only 40)

I moved him inside, he is in a shoebox with a piece of flannel to snuggle up to and the box is sitting in the sun. Gave him a couple of drops of water when he peeped. NOW WHAT!!! He is not lively like when first born and just wants to lay in the corner...he is slowly warming up I think as his eyes will open now when he is woken up by my voice. Here are some things I have - a heating pad, boxes, crates, heat lamp, but it is big like the kind you hang in the barn to keep animals warm... Might be overkill as this little guy/girl is only about 1-1/2" tall. The smallest chick...little black with a few white spots.

Please someone help me get this little guy back on the road to recovey.

Margot - newbie in Michigan

 

[M@M@2four]

You need to hold him and get him really warm--he should be under a heat lamp for the first 8 weeks. Once he's warm, give him a little sugar water(just a couple drops) with a dropper to get him more alert. Again, he needs to be moved to a brooder with a heat lamo, food, and water! Good luck!

 

[Maureen&chickens]

I'm certainly not an expert; I've only dealt with week old chicks and bigger. However, I think he should be under the heat lamp. My week olds spent several weeks in a Rubbermaid tub in my mudroom with the heat lamp hanging over them. I had starter crumbles in a shallow bowl and a waterer set up in there as well. I had newspaper covered with shavings but I think in the beginning an old towel is better. Keep giving him water as they dehydrate quickly. Hopefully someone else with more experience will help as well. Good luck!

 

[TexasVet]

Last week my banty momma abandoned the nest before all the chicks hatched. I found one that had made it out of the shell, but it was ice cold. I thought it was dead, because it wasn't moving, had closed eyes, and didn't seem to be breathing. I brought it in the house and held its body under warm water for a few minutes, then dried it off and held it in my hand until I got the incubator fired up. Once it was warm, I put the baby in there. A couple of hours later, it was up and cheeping!

It did have trouble walking (spraddle legs), so I added some hay to the floor of the incubator. Once it could get a grip, the legs strengthened and the spraddle leg problem was gone by the end of the day.

That night, I went out and placed the newbie under Momma. She accepted him without a problem, and he's (or she's) developing normally.

Kathy, Bellville TX
www.ChickenTrackin.com

 

[McCord6]

When I had my chicks, we hit a cold spell for a short time so I took out my small box heater and put it near the brooder. This is only good for surtain kinds of brooders. I had the chicks in a wired cage which is good with the heater but if you are using plastic, cardboard or anything like the such, dont use the heater too close! Also, don't repeat the same stupid mistake I did. I had a rabbit waterbottle for them and I had the heater pointed at th water bottle, OOPS, it melted the bottle into a weird looking shape, had to throw it out.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

You need a brooder box ( a cardboard box will do) a heat lamp source. I use a heat lamp with a reg. house light bulb 75 watt or 100 is good since there is just one chick. A long necked desk lamp will even work just crook the neck down towards the box. I wouldn't do a heating pad as you need the source of heat from the top down. You need a feeder with chick starter/grower and you will need a waterer. Wouldn't hurt to try making him drink from the waterer for a few times, have marbles or rocks in the waterer so he can't get in it and drown for a week or so. Poly-vi-sol liquid vits for children ( not the kind with iron) might help for a day, just add a drop or two to his waterer. Even a chicken vits. and electrolytes to his water will help. Small dose as it is a powder I think I have added 1/8th of a tsp or so before to a pint of water and just add as needed for acouple days.

A big help will be a feather duster for house dusting or a stuff animal he can get close too as chicks are social creatures and need company.

 

[Margot]

Thanks everyone for the QUICK response. But, the little dude has taken a turn for the worst and just died. I went out to get the make shift brooder ready and when I came back in he was unable to pick up his head any longer. I put him under the light and went out to pick up some starter. I was only gone 10 minutes and when I got back....dead. Boo! I hate to see such a little thing trys so hard....

Well, momma is out with the penned up hens and I only have one free ranging hen left to catch. Then no more suprise babies especailly in the winter.

Again, thanks everyone.

Margot

 

[jensen]

Sorry to hear about your loss. Winter can be a tough time unless you have the right setup.