So I have this little chick, it hatched out last Thursday so is almost a week old. It's a Black Copper Marans Chick and the only one of my 14 eggs that hatched. It pipped on its own on day 23, but right in the middle of the egg. So I opened a small hole to see what was going on, and it was in the wrong position, with one leg facing up, the other down. So I "helped" it hatch over about 6 hours. I don't think it was all the way ready though, and bled a bit at the end and still had the membranes fairly firmly attached. In other words, I did what I shouldn't have and now I think I've messed it up. The albumin wasn't fully absorbed, but the yolk was.
So I got the little one out, it was weak but trying to stand. Left it in the incubator alone for 24 hours, then moved it to the brooder with some chicks that were 3 days old. They were too rough for it, so I made him a little cage inside the brooder so he wouldn't get beaten up. Seemed to have some trouble standing, and kept falling over backwards, and seemed to have one leg way behind him, so treated him for spraddle leg with hobbles. Next morning he had fallen with them on and couldn't get back up, so had spent the night on his back. So I took the hobbles off and it did seem better.
3 days later, "Lil Bit" still hadn't eaten anything and was screaming and crying constantly. By this time I'd integrated him into the brooder. He would taste the crumbles and then spit them out. So I syringe fed him yolk, then yolk mixed with crumbles, then just wetted crumbles, over the next day. After getting his crop full I tried to help him calm down, he just couldn't stop screaming and hadn't really slept much. Finally he fell asleep, whimpering in his sleep even. Day 4, only fed him a little bit, hoping he'd get hungry enough, but nope. So day 5 tried repeatedly dipping his screaming mouth into wet crumbles to see if I could convince him thats where food was, and no luck. He was getting weak by this point (and hadn't gained a gram since hatching), so changed tactics and fed him as much as I could. He perked up, looked like he might eat on his own and spat it out. Today, feeding him again, now I've switched to stuffing dry crumbles down his throat to try and "explain" what the right food feels like in his mouth. After 2 long feedings like this, I'm not sure what to do.
I know I could cull him, but lets just say that's not what I'm going to do for now. Other ideas? I figured if I could just get him going he'd figure it out, but he's seeming more and more dependent on me. How can I teach him that food is on the floor and doesn't always come from me (without starving him to death)? There is food on the floor all the time, in a dish, in a feeder, and wet mash in a lid. He's now in a brooder with just one of the other chicks. They are 2 days older than him, he weighs 27g (the same weight as a large egg), they weigh 70+grams. They kept knocking him over and he seems to have trouble getting back up from his back, but with only 1 friend it's more mellow. Temp is plenty warm (he'll pant if he sits under the light for too long), but he can (and does) get away from it. Flooring is paper towels. He's definitely getting stronger, is more steady, but is also getting skinnier.
Sorry, this got long. I'm worried about my "Lil Bit" and would like to help him. Thanks for reading!
So I got the little one out, it was weak but trying to stand. Left it in the incubator alone for 24 hours, then moved it to the brooder with some chicks that were 3 days old. They were too rough for it, so I made him a little cage inside the brooder so he wouldn't get beaten up. Seemed to have some trouble standing, and kept falling over backwards, and seemed to have one leg way behind him, so treated him for spraddle leg with hobbles. Next morning he had fallen with them on and couldn't get back up, so had spent the night on his back. So I took the hobbles off and it did seem better.
3 days later, "Lil Bit" still hadn't eaten anything and was screaming and crying constantly. By this time I'd integrated him into the brooder. He would taste the crumbles and then spit them out. So I syringe fed him yolk, then yolk mixed with crumbles, then just wetted crumbles, over the next day. After getting his crop full I tried to help him calm down, he just couldn't stop screaming and hadn't really slept much. Finally he fell asleep, whimpering in his sleep even. Day 4, only fed him a little bit, hoping he'd get hungry enough, but nope. So day 5 tried repeatedly dipping his screaming mouth into wet crumbles to see if I could convince him thats where food was, and no luck. He was getting weak by this point (and hadn't gained a gram since hatching), so changed tactics and fed him as much as I could. He perked up, looked like he might eat on his own and spat it out. Today, feeding him again, now I've switched to stuffing dry crumbles down his throat to try and "explain" what the right food feels like in his mouth. After 2 long feedings like this, I'm not sure what to do.
I know I could cull him, but lets just say that's not what I'm going to do for now. Other ideas? I figured if I could just get him going he'd figure it out, but he's seeming more and more dependent on me. How can I teach him that food is on the floor and doesn't always come from me (without starving him to death)? There is food on the floor all the time, in a dish, in a feeder, and wet mash in a lid. He's now in a brooder with just one of the other chicks. They are 2 days older than him, he weighs 27g (the same weight as a large egg), they weigh 70+grams. They kept knocking him over and he seems to have trouble getting back up from his back, but with only 1 friend it's more mellow. Temp is plenty warm (he'll pant if he sits under the light for too long), but he can (and does) get away from it. Flooring is paper towels. He's definitely getting stronger, is more steady, but is also getting skinnier.
Sorry, this got long. I'm worried about my "Lil Bit" and would like to help him. Thanks for reading!
