How to help a runt thrive? (Warning, injured chick pic)

[Rethia]

I hatched out Icelandic chicks about five weeks ago and they moved to my friend's property (I've been hatching chicks for her flock) at about 3 weeks old. One, Waffles, was/is kind of the runt of the litter. I noticed while she was with me that she was growing slower than the rest, about a week behind in size, and she is extremely passive. I think she just wasn't eating much. I would take her out of the cage and feed her separately and she would eat more, but she just didn't like eating around the others. However, her behavior was normal and it didn't look like she was being picked on by the others.

I just moved my khaki campbell ducks out there and went to check on the Icelandics and it looks like she's been put through a wringer.

In the picture, she's on my brooder plate because I brought her back to my place to nurse, but she was bordering on lethargic and she's moving very gingerly. As you may be able to tell in the picture, her eye was pecked and I washed it and put some antibiotic on it, but I don't know for sure if she still has an eye . Her feathers are damaged on her wings and tail, and she has no feathers on her back. I can feel her breastbone jutting out. She doesn't seem to have any broken bones, but she is anorexic feeling.

She's eating and I gave her some rooster booster in her water and unmedicated starter mash to make it easier for her to eat larger quantities. When we got home, she had a couple watery poops, but she's had a few normal ones since she started eating. I have two Pekin duck chicks in the brooder with her and they're getting along all right so far, despite the five week age difference.

She keeps falling asleep standing up and, again, her behavior is more what is expect from a couple days old chick vs five weeks old. She is also almost half the size of her flockmates vs just a little smaller.

I don't blame my friend for her condition, she was checking crops every evening and she said that Waffles always had a full, albeit small, crop every evening. The eye peck happened somewhere between evening check and when I went there this morning.

Will she improve with some TLC? Any recommendations? I love this little chick, I spent a lot of time with her before and she's a very affectionate little baby.

 

[SnackMeat]

Probably in shock. If it works like most animals, keeping it warm and bundled is best. Dark place for most of the next few days. Wake up for hand feeding and to have it wake up to go poop and walk around a bit.

For weight gain and runty babies or being sick and not eating much, I refer back to soft boiled egg yolk. But I'm still very much a newb.

I would also grab some saline so you can saline flush the eye very gently (good to keep close to your body or in a sunny window so it doesn't shock the chick with cold) and reapply Neosporin.

 

[Rethia]

Probably in shock. If it works like most animals, keeping it warm and bundled is best. Dark place for most of the next few days. Wake up for hand feeding and to have it wake up to go poop and walk around a bit.

So your theory is that the excess sleeping and generally lethargy is related to her eye being injured and is a shock response?

 

[SnackMeat]

Yes. Body needs to heal. You may wind up losing her anyway, but shock is probably the immediate threat, followed by infection (so get some antibiotics, even through vet, OTC fish antibiotics, or your own stash, though sometimes you can get by with saline and Neosporin.)


I haven't had to deal with this (yet) with chickens, but had to with a dog who'd been bitten and had a pierced eyelid with infection. Saline and Neosporin worked, but a dog's head versus a chicks is quite a bit different and I'm sure infection for a chick is quicker to kill, especially with a pierced eyeball.

 

[SnackMeat]

Also factor in chickens are prey animals. If the lights are on, it's more likely to microsleep and move it's damaged eye around. Give it a way to feel safe in the dark and let it either sleep or die (not to be mean. But let it be undisturbed for periods and then handle it for electrolytes, soft food, and pooping and then back into the dark.)