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

[azygous]

Oh boy. One of my Legbars is sick. She is lethargic and has smelly baby diarrhea. I brought her indoors and mixed up some medicated chick starter that I just got with egg yolk and water and some Poultry Nutridrench and cooked it, cooled it and got her to eat a bit of it.

It seemed to perk her up a bit, but she still has diarrhea with a lot of white urates. She's in a heating pad, taco style, quiet, napping right at the moment.

I don't know what else I can do for her.

I'm wondering if she, being the smallest, got overly chilled yesterday evening when it got down to 50 and and the chicks were still mostly running around when they should have been in their cave. Would that precipitate this downturn?

 

[Blooie]

I don't think so, azygous, but I guess it's possible. Chicks don't spend a lot of time under mom, and they don't usually get sick from just chilling then. I'm more inclined to think that there might have been something else brewing underneath....maybe stress or maybe a bit of an infection somewhere.

Keep us posted on how she does. I'm sorry she's sick, doggone it.

 

[azygous]

I hope you're right and it' just stress, though it's been 48 hours since the chicks arrived in the mail. She's asleep in my hand against my chest. I am trying my best to convince her she should live.

 

[monkcat]

Aw, azygous, I hope she gets well. Will be sending positive thoughts for her and you!

 

[Grimm]

Maybe they would make a special dual sided one just for chickens. Fuzzy on the bottom and a thick wipable plastic on the top. I could just see the commercials, "Heating Pads for Chickens".

And they would jack the price up.

I have been wondering if it would be dangerous to use some of the iron on laminate on the top of the heating pad so you don't have to use the press-n-seal.

http://www.joann.com/therm-o-web-gloss-finish-vinyl-iron-on-value-pack-17inw-x-5yds/8032120.html

Or maybe make a new cover using minky fabric on the bottom and denim with the iron on vinyl on top... I might have to test this out when my heating pad arrives. I have both some scrap minky and iron on vinyl from when Roo was a baby.

(My girls seem to be adjusted to the ceramic heating bulb. I have an LED red bulb in there during the day since they are in the basement.)

 

[Blooie]

I don't think that would be a good idea in practice, even though it sounds good in theory. The Press'n'Seal shouldn't even go directly onto the heating pad. Now, making a new kind of fabric cover would be a fine idea, but you have to remember that they are going to poop on it - a lot - so either make it easy to clean or use scraps so you don't feel guilty pitching it.

 

[azygous]

Thanks! I have her in a heating pad "taco". (I have a spare.) She naps a bit, then I manage to get a few bites of food down her, but she doesn't have that eager chick appetite and energy like the others.

I just hope MHP is taking care of the other five because all my attention is focused on trying to get this chick past this big hurdle.

I called My Pet Chicken, and they were sympathetic and offered some suggestions, boiled grated egg white and sugar water, but she isn't as interested in it as the wet starter with egg yolk I originally mixed up.

 

[monkcat]

Well, Blooie, where I'm actually located is an unincorporated area without any stores or gas stations. HOWEVER, I'm only 10 miles from a town to my ready and to my west. So not nearly as boondocks as you! I would totally love it though.

 

[Grimm]

I don't think that would be a good idea in practice, even though it sounds good in theory. The Press'n'Seal shouldn't even go directly onto the heating pad. Now, making a new kind of fabric cover would be a fine idea, but you have to remember that they are going to poop on it - a lot - so either make it easy to clean or use scraps so you don't feel guilty pitching it.

My thoughts were to make a cover to go over the existing cover the pad comes with. Denim between the pad and the iron on laminate. (ironing the laminate to the demin) I can see that there might be an issue but I never had any problems with the laminate when I used it to make bids for Roo and tossed them in the dryer on high. (propane dryer)

Or what about using waterproof ripstop fabric for the top layer of a new cover?

 

[azygous]

Oh, you guys, I need some help! This tiny girl is trying to eat, but I think now she may be having poo problems. Her vent is becoming swollen and she squats and peeps loudly as she tries to poop, like it hurts, and only a tiny dot of white is deposited.

I know this isn't the right forum for this problem, but Emergencies is just not that helpful. Does anyone have any ideas what I can do for her?