Lethargic Chick--Any Advice?

[Bravo]

I have a 1 week old chick that is pretty sleepy. I have all the little ones in an xpen in my family room to give them a chance to get some exercise and while all of the others are bright-eyed, bushie-tailed and hopping everywhere she is standing in the corner and can barely stay awake.

I watched her poo and it was clear and gooey-looking.

She is thriving but I am wondering if this may be cause for concern. Any ideas about what I should do/supplements I can give her to perk her back up?

Should I be worried?

 

[seminolewind]

First off, try feeding her some wet mash made of chick feed. And also take a hammer or something and make those crumbles smaller. I've had quite a few chicks the past few years that looked like they were eating, but weren't because the crumbles were too big for them. Now I always grind them smaller.

 

[LittleMamaBigPapa]

Hi...I have only raised 3 chicks and I dont believe any of them had this behavior. Is she possibly too warm? Since she is standing, I wonder if she is too warm. Is she under a heat source or away from it? Gooey poops every couple of times was normal for my 3 chicks. They had the dry, longer poops, but every 3-4 poops was wet and gooey, and you could tell when they were coming cuz they would waddle their little behinds

 

[Bravo]

Quote:
I agree with you. Having clear poo would definitely be a sign she's not eating.

I just made a chick "formula" by blending chick starter, plain yogurt, SMART water and a hardboiled egg yolk together into a semi-viscous liquid that I fed to her through an eye dropper. I had to encourage her to take the formula but after the first bit she started eating it on her own and I got about 50cc's into her. She's still sleepy but hopefully getting a little nutrients in her will perk her up. I'll I will offer her more in a few hours.

I think I am going to seperate her and a few other of the more docile chicks into a seperate brooder box together. This way I can keep a closer eye on her and supplement as needed.

Good into to know going forward...I never thought that the size of the crumbles would discourage them from eating but it looks like that is true.

Thanks so much!

 

[Bravo]

Quote:
Thanks for the advice. She's in the same conditions as the others and they are as alert and happy as can be. I really think its like seminolewind suggested and she's just not eating.

Will keep you posted!

 

[seminolewind]

I think my first chick ever-died from not being able to eat the crumbles. I thought she was eating, but she was just throwing them around. Then I had 9 Polish chicks that did the same thing. I grinded the crumbles down and they acted like vultures. I have a little chick now that I was watching her eat and she really wasn't, now I see her actually eating the smaller crumbles and her crop is full.

I hope that she perks up. Make sure you update here .

 

[California Ducken]

Sunny California Greetings!!! You need to get some electrolytes and vitamin mix in the water. Also, what temp. do you have the brooder at? I had to hand feed a few of mine with EXACT baby bird food for about 2 to 3 weeks until they started to thrive a little better. The boiled egg and wet crumbles is a good start if she is eating. But a little sugar water should perk her up enough to eat and run around.
Been there done that!! So i know what you are going through. Good Luck and keep us posted.

 

[Bravo]

Quote:
Thanks!

The brooder is at 90* so that base is covered. I used smartwater in the "formula" as it has electrolytes in it (I normally use it on my show dogs when we travel). I thought I read on here somewhere that you shouldnt use sugar water--something about it interfering with the absorption of the electrolytes...maybe I'm misquoting.

I just hand fed her again and she took another 50cc's and her eyes look a little brighter. She's still sleepy but then again so are her sibblings right now

Its their bed time

I think I am going to keep supplementing her for the next few days and see if that will help out.

 

[Bravo]

What a difference 24 hours makes! Seminolewind I am pretty sure your advice saved my little girl!

I supplemented the chick two times last night with the "chick formula" I concocted giving her 50cc's each time. I also supplemented in the middle of the night and then again this morning. Each time I noticed she was stronger and stronger--especially this morning when she made it clear she was not at all happy with me hand feeding her. I came home at lunch and when I didnt see her with the others I panicked--then I looked over at the food plate where she was standing in the middle of it eating her heart out. When she was done I picked her up and her little crop was full.

Tonight she is lively as ever jumping around the brooder box exploring and having a blast.

I used an old coffee grinder to grind up the chick starter and have been offering it as a wet mash since last night and all of the chicks seem to appreciate it. Looks like going forward I am grinding up their starter until they are a few weeks old.

Thanks so much for the advice!!

 

[seminolewind]

I am so so glad that she's nice and lively now! Makes me real happy that she's turned around. I realized that I had one a few days ago, and also that her crop was always near empty. I grinded up some crumbles, now her crop looks like a bowling ball.

Great news!!!