Help me save her!

[azygous]

Chicks don't usually sicken and die suddenly from Marek's. I would guess her problem was she was bullied away from food and water and she became too weak to fight her way to the feeder.

I'm so sorry you lost her. Try not to blame yourself. It's simply not possible to know every thing about chickens, and you really did do the exact best thing by giving her Gatoraid.

You'll get past your grief in time, and this will stick with you as a learning experience. Next time you see a weak chicken, and if there are no other symptoms, the first thing you do is to give a sugar/electrolyte solution which can restore glucose and electrolyte levels. This will often revive a chicken that is suffering from hypothermia, dehydration, and starvation, all with similar symptoms.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Thank you all for responding and trying to help. I hate feeling so helpless. After she had passed, I tried to examine her more closely. I was able to find her crop. It felt squishy and pliable but also like there was some food in there. It did not feel hard like it was packed full so I don't think she had an impaction. However, even after she passed, she was regurgitating liquid from her mouth.

She was softly chirping to me this morning. After I found her this evening, she never made a sound.

I checked her over for mites or lice but didn't find anything. Really I have no idea why she died so suddenly. This picture was taken just 5 days ago. She didn't seem sick at all.



We opted not to do an amateur necropsy because I'm too heartbroken to cut her open. My DH is cremating her now.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry about your chick.