Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE

[poodlechicks]

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Terry, what you have there is a chick with Vitamin E encephalopathy, or in layman's terms:  sometimes described as crazy chick disease.  You may be able to cure her by giving her a few doses of Vitamin E (I nick the end off a gel cap, and get a drop of it into the chick by wiping it on her beak, she will hopefully drink it.  Selenium is often given along with the vitamin E.  If not treated promptly, there will be other systemic issues.  You should see immediate improvement after starting the Vitamin E.  Disclaimer:  I am in no way licensed to give chick medical information.  But I can tell you that this did work for my chicks, though he was very advanced by the time I figured out what was going on, so he did have systemic issues later on.  Do a thread search for Vit E Enc. And Cr. Ch. Dz.  Reading forward, I see that you've done the research.  I'd get a bolus of Vit. E into her along with continuing the ND.  

I totally agree w lazygardener . From the description I didn't think it could be crazy chick disease, but after I watched that video it really seems like it, minus the belly up display. I've seen some chickens w the same behavior, same diagnosis. Wishing the best for your chickTerryH

 

[Beekissed]

I'm going to be the bad guy here and talk about the elephant in the room....the chick needs a humane death and the sooner the better. I know it seems like compassion to try and save a life, especially of an innocent baby animal, but in a real situation the mother would have already killed that chick by smothering or stomping it, or abandoned it so that it chilled and killed.

As was stated, someone had a chick like that before, gave it vitamins but it had systemic problems later on. By all accounts, when encephalitis occurs in humans and other creatures, it's very painful....the brain swells and causes pain.

This chick is suffering. Please give it mercy and quickly.

 

[dyorto]

I saw a for sale listing for lavender orph chicks. Because of blooie, I'm tempted. My 5 weekers are out on their own now and brooder pit away. So I'm going to control myself and avoid chicken math issues!!!

 

[Coop de Grass]

So sorry you lost your chick. Rest assured he was in good hands, as you took such great care of him.

Coop de Grass, so sorry!!!

((((Coop de Gras))))
Ahh.... it's hardest when you have to put them down yourself.

 

[TerryH]

I'm not ready to give up on her. A search of threads here on the subject shows that many have fully recovered from vitamin deficiency. She came out and ran around with the others in the flock today. She still had a few episodes but they were less severe, shorter and she recovered from them quickly. She ate and drank and even climbed up on the MHP to join the rest of the flock. She pushed and shoved her way to the feeder and to the water just like every other chick. I know that I'm new to chicks this small but I'm not new to animals and if I thought she was in pain or suffering I would put her down. She is just a sick little one that I am treating as best that I can. She is quiet and snuggles right down to me when I hold her and softly coos herself to sleep in my hands. That is not a suffering animal in my opinion. If this persists I will put her down. She made amazing improvement today. We will see what the next few days bring and go from there. Here is the difference in yesterday and today.

 

[dyorto]

Glad to hear that Terry. I've been thinking of your chick all day. It's great to see it improving. Keep it up #7!

 

[jrjoplin]

Eviction day was yesterday. I now have 24 happy chicks out in the tractor. I did move MHP out with them as they aren't fully feathered, the shelf is as high as it can go and the heating pad is set on 3. On night one I had one chick that didn't go back inside and wouldn't you know it the little stinker was in the one corner of the tractor that doesn't have an access door. luckily there isn't any video of me crawling through the little door and placing the chick on the ramp. Once it was oriented to the coop door it ran right in and cuddled up with the rest. Tonight everyone was in and asleep when I shut them in for the night.
Now for the bad news, the wireless camera won't reach out to the chicken yard

no more chick cam unless I use my phone and I don't think they act naturally when I'm around.

 

[FlyWheel]

<Snip!>

I love love love your purple coop! How bold of you! My covenanants for my property say I have to match the house with any outbuilding...so you can guess how far a purple coop would go! I can dream, can't I?

You could also paint your house purple (Take that covenants!

)

If I had a dollar for every time I heard "chickens are weird". Lol.

Not as weird, I think, as chicken owners.

She drank some sugar water and some nutridrench that we gave her with a syringe. Not a lot but some. She just pooped on me. First time in my entire 54 years that I was ecstatic to have something poop on me. Perfectly normal looking poop. Some of them were in the MHP so I just put her I there with them. Seems like they are al just going to go to bed. I did post in the emergency thread. Typing with one hand while I held her with the other. Sheesh...how did I get so incredibly attached to a $3 chicken?

Link to the emergency section thread...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1098818/very-odd-situation-with-1-week-old-chick

For the same reason we get attached to $10 pound puppies and kittens. To most of us here the aren't livestock or commodities, they're pets - part of the family.

Oh, and they do get duct tape stuck to them

If that's a Roo (or turns out to be) you could just name him MacGyver!

 

[Jensownzoo]

I'm not ready to give up on her. A search of threads here on the subject shows that many have fully recovered from vitamin deficiency. She came out and ran around with the others in the flock today. She still had a few episodes but they were less severe, shorter and she recovered from them quickly. She ate and drank and even climbed up on the MHP to join the rest of the flock. She pushed and shoved her way to the feeder and to the water just like every other chick. I know that I'm new to chicks this small but I'm not new to animals and if I thought she was in pain or suffering I would put her down. She is just a sick little one that I am treating as best that I can. She is quiet and snuggles right down to me when I hold her and softly coos herself to sleep in my hands. That is not a suffering animal in my opinion. If this persists I will put her down. She made amazing improvement today. We will see what the next few days bring and go from there. Here is the difference in yesterday and today.

That's fantastic! Hope that she continues to make such progress as she looked like a happy, normal chick in the video. I think of euthanasia as a blessing, but being involved in animal rescue, I also believe in giving animals a chance. So, I suppose that's the management philosophy I have for my flock too? Two of my chicks just got over a respiratory infection with a little nursing and antibiotics. Now I'm off to read about scissor-beak (which she did NOT have when she arrived, darn it!).

 

[wamtazlady]

Although I have read a lot of the posts here, I haven't had time to read them all. My question is if anyone has used the MHP for goslings. I know you can use it for chicks and ducklings but haven't seen anyone using it for goslings. I have never had goslings and don't have any idea how much larger they are than ducklings. I have some ducklings and goslings arriving in 2 weeks and would much rather use the heating pad. The heat lamp scares me.