HELP! Lethargic baby

[roblynn]

Today we received 24 baby chicks from Murray McMurray and it took them 3.5 days to get here. As soon as they arrived I introduced them to water and put them in the brooder. For the most part they are all thriving. Within the hour one of my chicks was looking a little lethargic so I called MM and the operator there said to try a little honey with a water chaser. I did that and now that chick is doing very well. Here we are 6 hours since they first arrived and one of the other chicks looks lethargic. I think it's one of the Anconas. Anyway, I did the honey-water thing and although she looked like she was taking it in, she still looks tired. She really looks like she's sleeping as her eyes are closed. Her head is still upright and her breathing is not labored. I put her in her own little box because the other birds were tromping on her. She has her own food and water with a teeny bit of electrolyte solution in it. Is this normal behavior after such a long trip? She wasn't one of the chicks I was first worried about when they arrived. Please help!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How is she doing now?
Shipping can be hard on them, so you are doing what you can for her. I would take care she's not overheating if she's right under the lamp.
You may need to give her more drops of water by hand to see if that will help her.
If you have any Poultry Nutri-Drench, give her 1-2 drops a day for a couple of days.

 

[roblynn]

She's still just sitting there. I have been able to get her to drink sips of honey water but other than me forcing her she is not interested. I'll keep at it tho. At least she's standing. Eyes closed still. Thanks for the help!

 

[Meghankohl]

Today we received 24 baby chicks from Murray McMurray and it took them 3.5 days to get here. As soon as they arrived I introduced them to water and put them in the brooder. For the most part they are all thriving. Within the hour one of my chicks was looking a little lethargic so I called MM and the operator there said to try a little honey with a water chaser. I did that and now that chick is doing very well. Here we are 6 hours since they first arrived and one of the other chicks looks lethargic. I think it's one of the Anconas. Anyway, I did the honey-water thing and although she looked like she was taking it in, she still looks tired. She really looks like she's sleeping as her eyes are closed. Her head is still upright and her breathing is not labored. I put her in her own little box because the other birds were tromping on her. She has her own food and water with a teeny bit of electrolyte solution in it. Is this normal behavior after such a long trip? She wasn't one of the chicks I was first worried about when they arrived. Please help!

Get electrolyte replacement should work wonders

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She's still just sitting there. I have been able to get her to drink sips of honey water but other than me forcing her she is not interested. I'll keep at it tho. At least she's standing. Eyes closed still. Thanks for the help!

Poor little thing!
How's she doing now, any better?

 

[roblynn]

She didn't survive the night and we just had another one die. I'm really bummed about this. That makes three dead; one in transit, on on the first day and now one on the second day. I'm wondering if this is just normal or if there is something I could be doing better. I have two heat sources, plenty of food and water. I've been feeding them both fermented and dry chick starter. I've not been handling them too much. I'm wondering if I should make their enclosure larger and separate them a bit as I now have 22 and wonder if the stronger ones are damaging the smaller ones in some way. I really don't want to lose any more chicks. If you have any suggestions, please help. Thank you!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She didn't survive the night and we just had another one die. I'm really bummed about this. That makes three dead; one in transit, on on the first day and now one on the second day. I'm wondering if this is just normal or if there is something I could be doing better. I have two heat sources, plenty of food and water. I've been feeding them both fermented and dry chick starter. I've not been handling them too much. I'm wondering if I should make their enclosure larger and separate them a bit as I now have 22 and wonder if the stronger ones are damaging the smaller ones in some way. I really don't want to lose any more chicks. If you have any suggestions, please help. Thank you!

I'm sorry to hear you lost her

Can you get some photos of your brooder? How big is it?
You mention 2 heat sources, what's the temperature in the brooder - any cool areas where the chicks can get away from the heat?

Are your chicks all the same size (like all large fowl) or a mix?

Shipping stress is real and can greatly affect chicks. It took a while for them to arrive too, so the longer in transit, the harder it is on them. You never know how chicks are handled in the mail either.

For that many chicks, it may prove difficult to direct dose all of them with vitamins, so I suggest you get some Vitamins/Electrolytes and add those to their water. I use this one in the photo below. Usually you can find it at TSC if not I order it from amazon. I put 1/2 teaspoon to 1 gallon of water. It would be good to make fresh water available too, but if you don't have room in your brooder, then provide the electrolytes for a few hours, then replace with fresh water. I normally don't give these more than 3 days in a row.

 

[centralcaligirl]

I am having similar issues with a chick I picked up from the feed store yesterday. She was very lethargic this morning, had not eaten at all since coming home yesterday, and I was really worried. I ended up wrapping a little towel around her and holding the yolk of a hardboiled egg against her beak. I rubbed her beak in it gently a few times and she then started to pick at it and ended up eating quite a bit. I don't know if that will work for you but it could be worth a try. She still refuses to eat the regular feed but at least she's perking up.

 

[Sonya9]

I am having similar issues with a chick I picked up from the feed store yesterday. She was very lethargic this morning, had not eaten at all since coming home yesterday, and I was really worried. I ended up wrapping a little towel around her and holding the yolk of a hardboiled egg against her beak. I rubbed her beak in it gently a few times and she then started to pick at it and ended up eating quite a bit. I don't know if that will work for you but it could be worth a try. She still refuses to eat the regular feed but at least she's perking up.

Scrambled egg is truly a chick's favorite food (just be sure not to use non-stick pans when there are chicks in the house).

For ailing chicks raw egg mixed with water and a little sugar is good too.

 

[centralcaligirl]

Good to know! Thank you..