Help! Im new and one of my two chicks is not doing well.

[Kate T.]

Hello. I am raising my first two chicks ever. I have raised a dozen ducklings over the years without any issues. Currently my two turkens are about 10 days old. From the beginning their personalities were different and one of them was much more of a "pig". They are both growing albeit the "pig" is growing much faster. As of yesterday the smaller more meek chick stopped eating all together and just seems sleepy and sluggish. I didn't notice until late at night that she wasn't eating or drinking. This afternoon I gave her a mixture of plain yogurt, water, and crushed Purina chick start. She did eat some and seemed to perk up a bit. We had to leave for most of the day today. I came home tonight and I don't think that she is really improving. I mixed up a fresh batch of yogurt mush for her. She drank/ate some but, not as much as I would like to see. She is not eating the dry Purina chick start at all and not drinking from the waterer either. I am changing their paper-towels regularly. Fresh water twice a day and keep fresh chick start available. I am using a heat pad for heat. They seem to be a comfortable temperature (no shaking or shivering). I did take them outside a couple of times yesterday. Was that too much? Currently I am keeping them in a Rubbermaid bin in the house with a heating pad. They seem to enjoy getting out for a little play time 2-3 times a day. Yesterday was the first time I took them into the grass etc. They didn't really seem to eat much while out there but sort of pecked around at different things. Any thoughts? What should I do? Thanks in advance.

 

[jwyles]

Hello. I am raising my first two chicks ever. I have raised a dozen ducklings over the years without any issues. Currently my two turkens are about 10 days old. From the beginning their personalities were different and one of them was much more of a "pig". They are both growing albeit the "pig" is growing much faster. As of yesterday the smaller more meek chick stopped eating all together and just seems sleepy and sluggish. I didn't notice until late at night that she wasn't eating or drinking. This afternoon I gave her a mixture of plain yogurt, water, and crushed Purina chick start. She did eat some and seemed to perk up a bit. We had to leave for most of the day today. I came home tonight and I don't think that she is really improving. I mixed up a fresh batch of yogurt mush for her. She drank/ate some but, not as much as I would like to see. She is not eating the dry Purina chick start at all and not drinking from the waterer either. I am changing their paper-towels regularly. Fresh water twice a day and keep fresh chick start available. I am using a heat pad for heat. They seem to be a comfortable temperature (no shaking or shivering). I did take them outside a couple of times yesterday. Was that too much? Currently I am keeping them in a Rubbermaid bin in the house with a heating pad. They seem to enjoy getting out for a little play time 2-3 times a day. Yesterday was the first time I took them into the grass etc. They didn't really seem to eat much while out there but sort of pecked around at different things. Any thoughts? What should I do? Thanks in advance.

Have you tried sugar water? I googled and it said a tbsp per quart. Also have you tried electrolytes? If you took her outside and it was hot maybe they became delpleated. You can get this little packets of electrolytes premeasured for a gallon of water at TSC or almost any feed store. They've also got those with probiotics too. I'd try to get some sugar water and electrolytes in her asap. Also I'm sure everyone is going to recommend you find the poop chart and make sure her poo falls in the normal range. I hope she improves for you!

 

[Kate T.]

Have you tried sugar water? I googled and it said a tbsp per quart. Also have you tried electrolytes? If you took her outside and it was hot maybe they became delpleated. You can get this little packets of electrolytes premeasured for a gallon of water at TSC or almost any feed store. They've also got those with probiotics too. I'd try to get some sugar water and electrolytes in her asap. Also I'm sure everyone is going to recommend you find the poop chart and make sure her poo falls in the normal range. I hope she improves for you!

Thank you so much for your reply! I have not tried sugar water. I can try that. Their poops seem to vary from moment to moment. A lot of times their poop looks normal and other times it looks runny. As I said it can change from normal to runny and vice versa in the matter of minutes. I might add that the "pig" is thriving and doing wonderfully and also has the manic poop thing going on.

 

[jwyles]

Thank you so much for your reply! I have not tried sugar water. I can try that. Their poops seem to vary from moment to moment. A lot of times their poop looks normal and other times it looks runny. As I said it can change from normal to runny and vice versa in the matter of minutes. I might add that the "pig" is thriving and doing wonderfully and also has the manic poop thing going on.

I've only owner chickens for a little while but I can assure you that their poop going from dry to runny is very normal. The normal range is pretty broad with chickens. In color and consistency. I don't know how to attach s link but if you google chicken poop chart (lol) it's bound to pop up. It'll probably bring you back here but I find it's easier to google what I want and let the link bring me back to byc than actually trying to search byc for something. Anyway the sugar water and electrolytes is a good start. Also what percent protein does your food have and also if they foraged and possibly ate anything outside you may want to offer grit asap as well. I know you said it's not eating well so what does it's crop feel like? And... be sure it doesn't have poop caked fi it's behind either.

 

[Kate T.]

I've only owner chickens for a little while but I can assure you that their poop going from dry to runny is very normal. The normal range is pretty broad with chickens. In color and consistency. I don't know how to attach s link but if you google chicken poop chart (lol) it's bound to pop up. It'll probably bring you back here but I find it's easier to google what I want and let the link bring me back to byc than actually trying to search byc for something. Anyway the sugar water and electrolytes is a good start. Also what percent protein does your food have and also if they foraged and possibly ate anything outside you may want to offer grit asap as well. I know you said it's not eating well so what does it's crop feel like? And... be sure it doesn't have poop caked fi it's behind either.

Thank you again. No poop cake on the behind. Food is 18% protein. Not sure what grit is so I will google that. I have never felt a crop before so I gave that a whirl. I would have to say that it felt empty? After giving her sugar water last night and again this morning she did go over to her food and eat just a bit. Not enough to be healthy but, it is an improvement over not eating at all. She barely drank any of the sugar water but, perhaps it did stimulate her appetite just a bit.

She really doesn't seem sick in any other way just that she seems to be starving to death.

 

[Kate T.]

I just read up on grit. She for sure will need that. The feed store that I bought the chicks from never mentioned it and I had no idea. I fed them ants last week and the one who is not doing well especially loved them. I feel horrible. Poor baby.

 

[jwyles]

Poor little thing. I want to point out not to replace her water with sugar water completely. It's just meant to be offered as a pick me up. You can add Apple cider vinegar to her water as well. This can be done throughout her life on occasion. I'm no expert so I would recommend doing your own research in any advice I give you. I just wanted to share what I myself gave readsnd been recommended. I dealt with sick chicks very recently myself and really depended on support from byc members to get me through. Hope baby is doing ok today. I would be sure to get probiotics and electrolytes in water soon.

 

[Kate T.]

The sugar water helped! I did offer it to her as a supplement and kept their jug of fresh water in their bucket. She started eating on her own yesterday and was eating very healthy last night. This morning I let them out of their bucket for a stretch and she was flapping her wings and was eating well too. Now tonight I see her laying down while her sibling eats and she seems to be eating less again...maybe I'm paranoid now.

The yogurt has probiotics? I read that you need to be careful with electrolytes so I was hesitant to do anything with that. She had some yogurt the last couple of nights and I will try again tonight.

Thanks so much for your help! I thought she was a gonner for sure. I stared at her last night while she ate because it was so awesome to see.

 

[Kate T.]

I just went to offer her yogurt and she refused it but went over to her dish and ate chick start for minutes. I think she is fine now. She was drinking from her jug too. The healthy chick refused the yogurt all along so I'm gonna take it as a good sign that she doesn't seem to need it any more. She is just a much daintier chick that her sibling. I wonder if the "pig" isn't a rooster. That would be sad.

 

[jwyles]

I just went to offer her yogurt and she refused it but went over to her dish and ate chick start for minutes. I think she is fine now. She was drinking from her jug too. The healthy chick refused the yogurt all along so I'm gonna take it as a good sign that she doesn't seem to need it any more. She is just a much daintier chick that her sibling. I wonder if the "pig" isn't a rooster. That would be sad.

I'm so so glad to hear this. I kept hoping a more knowledgeable person would chime in but it sounds like she's rounding a corner. I wouldn't compare her eating or size to the other chick's as long as she is eating drinking and is active. I hadn't read that about electrolytes so I could be wrong but I had it in my chicks' water every day until they were around 4 weeks and still add it regularly. I didn't lose any thank goodness! But the main reason I suggested it was bc they'd been outside and I thought she might've gotten hot. Anyways as long as she's doing better that's all that matters! Good job seeing her through!