Little chick not eating or drinking

[Starrunnerstar]

Morning, we have hatched our first eggs with a hen, she is a great mum, we have had 3, the oldest is now 5 days the youngest 3 days. The youngest is very small and doesn't really move around much, it isn't great on it's legs either...

The main point is that it isn't eating or drinking on its own, it just wants to keep going under the hen for warmth...

The other 2 are very strong and scratching around outside already happily but the little one just peeps all the time when the hen is out with the others.

We have tried putting it out with them but it does nothing really, I have tried getting it to drink but it doesn't seem to have any inclination to do this for itself, as yet it hasn't eaten anything that we know of, we have tried encouraging but its so small it's hard to force it!

Any suggestions on how to get it eating as it's getting critical now it's 3 days old, it did take a little water this morning when i dipped a little of it's beak in water, was very careful, it seemed to know what to do when I showed it but doesn't do it for it'self and as i said it's very unsteady on it's feet?

whats the best thing to get it to eat?

They are Sussex White and Sussex Light.

 

[n8ivetxn]

When chicks hatch they don't need to eat or drink for a couple/three days...I would just let it be, as long as mom isn't pecking at it. You can try giving it a little yogurt and put electrolytes in the water.

I had a hatch 11 days ago and one of them started out weak. For several days it didn't get around much, cried a lot...I was worried it wasn't getting enough to eat. But, she's recovered and doing well, I didn't do anything to her, just left her with the broodies and siblings.