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

[MesMama]

And this other one that won't eat...ugh. I dipped its beak in some of the Chick Quick, seemed to calm her a little but she fought me and fights me when I try to show her the food :/ So I'm holding her, put her to sleep once by rubbing her little head. She's not a happy camper

 

[MesMama]

Very possible. They are supposed to hatch with it all closed up nicely. When it doesn't, it's an excellent route for bacteria to enter the body and once it's in...well, newborns don't have the best defenses against it.

I also lost a week old chick last night, but there is no explanation at present. I am finding that my success with the farm/feed store chick has been less than my chicks that were shipped in a January snowstorm! At least they only had to contend with chilling and shipping stress. Who knows what my current chicks have been exposed to? Think in the future I will do private breeders or direct from the hatchery.

Man, so they can just up and die? Like no signs of anything wrong and just bam. I think I am finding that I prefer letting the hens go broody and let them deal with the chicks, this is so sucky and I want to enjoy them but I'm really not at this point I feel like I failed that one that died somehow because she seemed fine one minute. And now this one that won't eat...sigh. Anyway sorry for being negative and hijacking AGAIN. I'm just sad and worried and confused. My husband is like 'they're just chickens" and yeah that's true but I'm responsible for them. I realize sometimes they just die but I also need to don't right by them and do my best to take care of them. But anyway...here I sit holding this little one <3

 

[Jensownzoo]

You can do everything perfectly and completely right and still lose some. I might have noticed something if I had been sitting there watching them 24/7 but it could have just passed away in its sleep too. Sucks. But to bring us back to topic, at least with MHP we are reducing the stress of the chicks as well as greatly reducing the chance of a fire that might kill ALL of them!

 

[bruceha2000]

Quote:
Don't beat yourself up over this! There is no way to know if there is something wrong internally with a chick.

I would keep trying the Chick Quick. It isn't unusual for a bird that is being held and having its beak shoved into something to resist. Wouldn't you?

But if you can keep liquids and vitamins in it maybe it will pull through and get interested in food like its little buddies. If not, you did nothing wrong!!!!!!

 

[Jensownzoo]

Don't beat yourself up over this! There is no way to know if there is something wrong internally with a chick. 

I would keep trying the Chick Quick. It isn't unusual for a bird that is being held and having its beak shoved into something to resist. Wouldn't you?   But if you can keep liquids and vitamins in it maybe it will pull through and get interested in food like its little buddies. If not, you did nothing wrong!!!!!!

^^^^^YES!!! I did have a little bantam chick that DID show symptoms. She was standing by the waterer looking like she was having a difficult time swallowing. Opened her mouth and it was full of thick plegm. Wiped it out, milked additional plegm out of her empty crop, and started supplementing her with a vitamin/electrolyte/ACV solution every hour. I used a small syringe and would touch a drop to the crease of her beak (where it would get sucked into her mouth via capillary action), let her swallow, then repeat until I had gotten about 10 drops in. She fought me, but after 5 hours she had some food in her crop and was doing much better. Now back to normal. No idea what caused it, but supportive care is always worth trying!

 

[MesMama]

Don't beat yourself up over this! There is no way to know if there is something wrong internally with a chick. 

I would keep trying the Chick Quick. It isn't unusual for a bird that is being held and having its beak shoved into something to resist. Wouldn't you?   But if you can keep liquids and vitamins in it maybe it will pull through and get interested in food like its little buddies. If not, you did nothing wrong!!!!!!

Thank you <3

 

[MesMama]

She seemed more content so I put her back under MHP. I can hear her every once in awhile, so we wait. I did notice her crop is empty. The others are ravenous and their crops are nice and full. Maybe there's something not quite right with her "wiring"? I hate to have her suffer a slow death from starvation though May have to make a tough decision...

 

[aart]

Sometimes their little innards are not formed right.....getting the whole digestive system up and running can have hiccups (literally and figuratively?haha!)

 

[Blooie]

Before you give up, wet some food....get it good and mushy! I've noticed if I've had a smaller chick it will sometimes have trouble with the slightly larger crumbles. And it seems that once they don't eat for time period, they suddenly don't seem to be able to eat anymore, even when it's right in front of them. Won't hurt the other chicks to eat it too, but sometimes that mash is just the ticket to kick start that slowed down digestive system. Worth a try...

 

[MesMama]

Before you give up, wet some food....get it good and mushy! I've noticed if I've had a smaller chick it will sometimes have trouble with the slightly larger crumbles.  And it seems that once they don't eat for time period, they suddenly don't seem to be able to eat anymore, even when it's right in front of them.  Won't hurt the other chicks to eat it too, but sometimes that mash is just the ticket to kick start that slowed down digestive system.  Worth a try...

That's a good idea! Will try that now Thanks!