How to clean "helped" new-hatched chick?

[Sunny Side Up]

A hen we had thought was missing was instead found this morning with 9 new-hatched chicks! They were all fluffed out and running around in a corner of the barn with their Mom. I put them all in a cage for their protection, and when I went to clean out the dud eggs in the nest I found a chick fully zipped and peeping in its shell.

Since Mom was settling down in a corner of the cage and gathering her chicks underneath, I decided to put this hatching chick back under her. A few hours later we found the hen up & scratching around in the cage, and this chick still in its shell.

I thought it was dead, but when I picked it up there was a dusty, fuzzy little wing waving at me, and a little beak still opening & closing! On closer look we could tell that the yolk was absorbed & the only thing keeping it from pushing out was the dried membrane. I gently peeled it away & the shell easily popped off.

The chick was still sticky-damp, and I've been keeping it in a box with a desk lamp for warmth. It's drying off now, and starting to try & sit up. But there are still patches where the fluff is matted. I've seen chicks like this before, where they don't dry off & fluff up like they should, they have dried albumen on them & it's hard to get off.

What should I do to clean this chick so it will be all fluffy? I hope to return it to the Mama hen, it's too late to try tonight plus the chick is too weak right now. I'm hoping it will be fluffy & running around tomorrow night so I can try & put it under its Mom.

 

[hinkjc]

Once it's fairly dry, use an eyebrow brush and give it a gentle brush. The dried albumen tends to just crackle and fall off and leave a pretty normal looking chick.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Thank you hinkjc, that worked perfectly! But I had to use an old soft child's toothbrush, no eyebrow brushes here. I thought I would have to try & wash this chick under running water, or rub with a wet towel, or something like that. But the dry soft brush did the job wonderfully!

The chick looks so much better now that it's fluffed up. It's still very wobbly on its feet, one foot's toes are a bit curled. But it is beginning to drink & eat, and seems to be getting stronger & steadier on its feet. It can peep nice & loud too.

I still hope to be able to return this chick to its Mom once it gets steady & strong. It surprised us by staying alive for all that time in its shell, we want to give it a chance.

 

[hinkjc]

You're very welcome. I always feel that rewetting them will risk chilling and weaken the chick. Working with them dry is always better. I hope she does well for you and can go back to mom soon. Good job giving her a chance at life.

 

[bloomnbeauty]

I had the same thing happen recently and when we tried to put the chick back with mama she refused to accept it. We took one of the other chicks and rubbed them together for the scent and she accepted it without a fuss.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I didn't think that chickens had a sense of smell. Maybe it was something else that persuaded the hen to accept that chick.

I didn't get a chance to see if my hen would take back this chick, it died today in its box on the kitchen table. It did get up & toddle around, would drink nicely, but didn't have much of an appetite. Another one of its nestmates had an injured eye so I put it in the same box, you could see the difference in their sizes & development when they were together.

It had a lot of chutzpah to survive as long as it did, but not enough to continue to grow. I'm glad I helped it as much as I did, there wasn't much more I could have done. I buried it under a bush I just planted, it's remains will help that plant to grow and so, in that way, will continue to live.