I need ADVICE! Weaker Silkie Chick...

[HookLineSilkie]

Hi All, I need some advice. I have a mama hen in a coop outside with 2 one week old silkies chicks. One is growing fast and the other needs some attention. It has gotten pasty butt, isn’t as active, and get stepped on by mama hen. Today, twice, I had to help it back up! She is maybe favoring the healthy one or it’s just the one that’s thriving. I freaked out the last incidence and put it in my brooder inside with my little family of silkies (that I incubated) ranging from 3 weeks to 6 weeks. It did okay but they are all so active that it was getting pushed around too much. I gave in and put it back in with mama and baby and they are both under her. I turned the heat lamp off, too. Probably shouldn’t have started with it but it’s cold, even for CA. All is now quiet. The chick in question has grown slightly, has begun slightly feathering out. One eye is a little squinty. I’ve been cleaning it’s tushy, giving it electrolytes, probiotics, eggs, and chick starter meal. I’m stressing the crap out of it but I don’t want it to get weaker. Oh, and it chirps a lot! Is my baby doomed? Should I separate it from its mama? Help.

 

[cavemanrich]

Keep doing what you are doing. I personally would stop the electrolytes, and probiotics at this time, and focus on feeding Eggs,(focus on cooked yolks) and clean fresh water. Keep toosh clean just as you are doing. When somewhat bigger, you can choose to give the electrolytes, and probiotics. I have never given any of these items to any of my chickens, for over 20 years chicken keeping.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[HookLineSilkie]

Keep doing what you are doing. I personally would stop the electrolytes, and probiotics at this time, and focus on feeding Eggs,(focus on cooked yolks) and clean fresh water. Keep toosh clean just as you are doing. When somewhat bigger, you can choose to give the electrolytes, and probiotics. I have never given any of these items to any of my chickens, for over 20 years chicken keeping.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

Thank you for your response! The chickie ended up dying a few hours after I posted. I had turned off the heat lamp and left them both under her but came back out to check on them with a flashlight and found baby near death a few feet away from hen. It was cold. I ran it inside and tried to heat it up but it died in my hands. So, I’m pretty sure it was failure to thrive but also maybe the hen rejected it and it didn’t have the heat lamp to chirp under once that happened. Not sure. I had it in my brooder for a few minutes, so maybe the sent of the other chicks transferred to the baby. Maybe she just rejected it because it wasn’t strong. Not sure what happened. Do chick walk off to die? Hindsight is 20/20 and I wish I would have given it a chance to thrive in my brooder. I’m sure the end result would have been the same but maybe I could have gotten it going. Well, I have a very healthy lone Silkie with his mama doing great so far. I plan to put my juveniles outside in the coop with a barrier screen and extra heat source in a few week. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[cavemanrich]

I know how you feel... I just think it was failure to thrive,,,
Glad rest of your flock is doing well

 

[ChickNanny13]

 

[chickens really]

Electrolytes are only for the first drink. Pasty butt can knock the heck out of a chick. Electrolytes are hard on the heart.
Momma seamed to know the Chicks health wasn't right so she didn't concern herself on the weak one. I had a weak Call Duckling and Momma killed it off.