Listless chick...advice please!

[Free808208]

My 4 week chicks were picking on the 2 cochins in the bunch til the point of bleeding. On advice I got from BYC I sent hubby out for Blue Kote but the store only had Rooster Booster pick no more. It is working well on the smaller chick with more extensive injuries. However when trying to do the other cochin he was squirmy and we wound up with the gunk all over. He then started just sleeping...I am new to chicks...is he just cold and stressed? Is too much of that purple guck making him sick? Should I wash him and try to get it off...or no since he's probably already cold? I moved him back to our inside tote brooder that they lived in the first week with a heat lamp. Been making him drink every so often but he just wants to sleep. My kid wrapped him in a towel. We held him on our chests for some body heat but that is unusual...like I said he's usually squirmy...so it is odd he wants to sleep and let us hold him. Any advice? Hoping I didn't just kill my daughter's favorite chick just be trying to treat his wounds...

 

[dawg53]

For wound treatments in chicks, it's best to use equal parts of betadine and water. Then apply neosporin ointment until healed. Dont apply Blu-Kote, it contains alcohol and would surely burn when applied. I wouldnt use Pick No More for wounds neither. Get all wounds healed first prior to applying anti-pick products.

Try using a warm damp wash cloth to remove the Pick No More. It's imperative to keep the chick warm. Treat the wounds as I stated above. Give the chick one drop of Poultry Nutri Drench orally via eyedropper twice a day for no more than 5 days. Shake the bottle well before use. Use a smaller eyedropper than the one provided in the bottle.
Provide her chick starter feed and fresh clean water to drink as well.

 

[Free808208]

For wound treatments in chicks, it's best to use equal parts of betadine and water. Then apply neosporin ointment until healed. Dont apply Blu-Kote, it contains alcohol and would surely burn when applied. I wouldnt use Pick No More for wounds neither. Get all wounds healed first prior to applying anti-pick products.

Try using a warm damp wash cloth to remove the Pick No More. It's imperative to keep the chick warm. Treat the wounds as I stated above. Give the chick one drop of Poultry Nutri Drench orally via eyedropper twice a day for no more than 5 days. Shake the bottle well before use. Use a smaller eyedropper than the one provided in the bottle.
Provide her chick starter feed and fresh clean water to drink as well.

He is drinking ok..tried washing and it won't come off but at least his feathers aren't glue now. He is preening a lot. He is not pooping just urinating and is making some effort to eat...tried chick feed, chick feed water mash, scrambled egg, etc. We had Save a chick vitamins and electrolytes so put those in the water...he is a little more active this morning but is periodically just opening and closing his beak wide (like a yawn...do chickens yawn?) And yesterday it seemed like there was air under the skin by his shoulders but I don't see it now. He protests like he usually does when I pet him so there seems to be improvement but his appetite level and no poop still bothers me. He won't eat from my hand or a dropper...ooh wait...think he just pooped a bit. That makes me happy. It was a long night. Thanks for the reply...

 

[lazy gardener]

How many chicks and what size brooder are they in? What temp are you keeping them at? Often too much heat can cause aggression, as will crowding. I give my chicks about 1 s.f. in brooder during week one. It's recommend to give them 2 s.f./chick in the brooder by the time they are 2 - 3 weeks old. Also, if you don't have Poultry Nutri Drench, I advise you to get it right away and give a drop to each injured chick several times/day. You can put it in the water for all the birds. About 1 tsp/qt, change the water out daily.