Help needed please! Sick chick!

[caitcluckcluck]

Hi all,
I've had my last remaining Hen (long story don't ask lol) go broody and I eagerly gave her 6 fertile eggs to hatch. 3 have hatched last night and the last eggs are duds.
Anyway, 2 of the chicks are strong and healthy, but the third seems sick =( it's doing foamy green poo's and although it can hop around after Mum if it HAS to, other than that it's just lying down panting

What can I do?! I've heard of giving a tiny amount of vegemite in water helps? But then I've also heard it's too much salt for them? So I'm not sure what to do! It's her first lot of chicks and she's doing such a great job, I just really want to save it for her!

 

[azygous]

Get some Poultry Nutri-drench. If this chick can be helped, that will do it. This product is different from ordinary baby vitamins like Poly-vi-sol in that it gets directly into the blood stream, supplying nutrients the chick probably isn't able to absorb due to an immature digestive system. This could give your chick the leg up it needs to survive this first week.

 

[3riverschick]

Great advice azygous!!

 

[caitcluckcluck]

Ok great, thank you! I just went back out there and it does seem to be a bit stronger, so who knows! Is the green frothy poo a concern?

 

[3riverschick]

Ok great, thank you! I just went back out there and it does seem to be a bit stronger, so who knows! Is the green frothy poo a concern?

 

[azygous]

Here's what you do. First thing Tuesday morning you go get a small bottle of Poultry Nutri-drench. Meanwhile, boil an egg and mince it finely in a food processor, both white and yolk since each has different and valuable life saving properties.

You will warm a little water to a tepid temperature so it's not cold. Add a dash of sugar to it. Take the chick and place a drop alongside its beak. It will slurp it. Do a bit more, then a bit more until the chick appears to have had enough.

Return the chick to the broody and offer all of them the plate of minced boiled egg. Some will say to isolate the chick but I've found the presence of the other chicks encourages the sick one to eat.

When you get the Nutri-drench, again take the sick chick aside and place a drop of undiluted Nutri-drench alongside its beak, trying to get as much into the tiny mouth as possible without forcing it.

Then make a "weak tea" with the Nutri-drench in the chicks' water bottle. Let everyone drink it, it's okay. Make fresh each day, and keep it up for the next week or two or until you see the chick is acting and eating and pooping normally.

The poop may be a result of the chick not having a functioning digestive system. Or it may have an inherited disease which sometimes gets passed to the chick from the egg donor. It's not going to be possible to diagnose it. All you can do is try these life saving measures and wait and see if they work.

Sometimes, a chick is hatched and it fails to thrive no matter what you do. All you can do is try. The rest is up to the chick.

 

[caitcluckcluck]

Thanks all for your help, it seems fine today so maybe it was just a slow starter! Thanks again! =))

 

[azygous]

That's what we all wanted to hear! Nice little family group!