Maybe sick banty chick?

[Hennyetta]

I lost one of my wyandotte bantam chicks last night, and now I'm worried about my smallest cochin bantam. All the cochins are very docile and laid back, and this guy has been the most calm of them all so far (they were hatched and shipped Wed. and I got them Thurs.) but I've noticed lately that he sleeps almost all the time. If I pick him up, he wakes up for a little bit, then drifts off in my hand. If I put him back down he either walks a few steps and starts nodding off again, or just stands right where I put him and goes back to sleep. I cleaned their brooder today, so I put all the chicks into their shipping box while I did it. After I was done, I put the chicks back, but left this little guy for last, so he was by himself in the shipping box. He just looked around a little and pecked at the bedding mat in the bottom of the box, but didn't seem bothered at all that he was alone.

When he's sleeping and the other chicks peck at him, or step on him, he doesn't react much. I did see him go over to the feeder when a bunch of other chicks were eating, but he only pecked once and then wandered away for a nap. I dipped his beak in the water, and he drank a little, and struggled to get away from me.

He's breathing fine, and seems reasonably bright-eyed, but it's sort of hard to tell because he's so sleepy most of the time.

Does it sound like he's getting sick, or am I worrying needlessly? Is there anything I can do for him if he is sick?

 

[cafarmgirl]

Sometimes they just get exhausted and chilled during shipping and it can be hard for some of them to recover from that. I always put Save-A-Chick in their water for the first couple of days, that usually really perks them up and gets them eating and drinking.

 

[Hennyetta]

I gave them Grogel Plus B the day they arrived. That would be about the same thing as the Save-A-Chick, right?

 

[mg15]

I lost one of my wyandotte bantam chicks last night, and now I'm worried about my smallest cochin bantam. All the cochins are very docile and laid back, and this guy has been the most calm of them all so far (they were hatched and shipped Wed. and I got them Thurs.) but I've noticed lately that he sleeps almost all the time. If I pick him up, he wakes up for a little bit, then drifts off in my hand. If I put him back down he either walks a few steps and starts nodding off again, or just stands right where I put him and goes back to sleep. I cleaned their brooder today, so I put all the chicks into their shipping box while I did it. After I was done, I put the chicks back, but left this little guy for last, so he was by himself in the shipping box. He just looked around a little and pecked at the bedding mat in the bottom of the box, but didn't seem bothered at all that he was alone.

When he's sleeping and the other chicks peck at him, or step on him, he doesn't react much. I did see him go over to the feeder when a bunch of other chicks were eating, but he only pecked once and then wandered away for a nap. I dipped his beak in the water, and he drank a little, and struggled to get away from me.

He's breathing fine, and seems reasonably bright-eyed, but it's sort of hard to tell because he's so sleepy most of the time.

Does it sound like he's getting sick, or am I worrying needlessly? Is there anything I can do for him if he is sick?

I had a little bantam almost like yours. She was so small the others just walked on her. She had a sister just like her and she did fine. but this little one needed special rehab care.
I took her out from the others. I have a plastic clear box and I put a heating pad on the bottom. Then I had a coffee plastic "can" a Folgers one and cut it down the middle length wise so it looked like a quanset hut. Set the hut on top of the heating pad with fleece under it. She would go in there to keep warm. Then I had her food and water on the end so she would come out and eat and no one disturbed her. I made sure her crumble was wet and gloppy so she would get hydration and nutrition at once. It took awhile but she got more comfortable with being in the hut. She is now our "indoor" chicken.

mg

 

[Hennyetta]

Well, I'm not very optimistic that this little guy is going to make it. I have him inside in a box with a hot water bottle right now. The other chicks were stepping on him, knocking him over, etc. At least now if he has to die, it won't be because he was trampled to death.

He doesn't appear to be suffering, or sick, really, he just sleeps. It's strange. I'm still hoping he'll pull through, but I'll be kind of surprised if he does.