He's dying RIGHT NOW !!!

[JulieZ]

Found 2 week old laying on back, bent over food container, upside down. The other chicks were running all over him. That was 6 hours ago. He came from a farm at 3 days old. Why is he dying?? "Mork" died the same way.

He TRIES to open his eyes but can't.
He TRIES to get a good breath but can't.
He TRIES to walk but stumbles & falls.
He DOES chirp when I touch him, as if in pain.
No blood, vent looks okay, no swelling that I can see anywhere, his poop is SUPER gooey/gross.

 

[ranchhand]

Dang. Tough one.

What's the feed? Anything besides chick starter and water?

What's the temp at chick level? Some are more sensitive than others.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Losing chicks is an inevitable part of raising chickens.

All you can do is keep him comfortable while he passes or you can cull him yourself.

No, it ain't easy either way.

 

[JulieZ]

Temps are normal, chick starter feed medicated, clean water, clean bedding, etc.

I'm really wondering if having chickens is worth the heartache.

 

[mama2many]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. It is very hard to loose one, but I promise all the joy you will see down the road will mend your broken heart. You can't shut off your heart to the love of these precious creature. I have had dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep, bunnies you name it, but I LOVE my chickies. I had a hard loss of my Big Mama early this spring that made me think of quittin the whole mess. You will have a new baby at some point that helps to heal your saddness. Be with him and show him love until he goes that is all you can do. There will be a rainbow somewhere down the road, I promise.

 

[kaddidle]

I wonder the same thing every time I loose one...and then I look at my flock on any one of the many, many good days which far outnumber the bad and I know that the answer is yes.

 

[arch_cpj]

This is one case where I take a more modern tone to the chick raising deal I ALWAYS giver my new chicks some oxytetracycline (1/2 tsp) per galon of water for the first month of their lives In this one case I have found the mortality decreases substantially there are just soooooooooo many bugs the chicks can get.. I have a mortality of 2 percent this way and 5 - 7 percent without sometimes more...