Mille Fleur chick not thriving...(UPDATE!)

[chanda]

The 3 only recently hatched out...2 died within hours of hatching. The 3rd is barely hanging on--whenever I try to give it water (with vitamins and electrolytes), it ends up acting as if it's choking. After MUCH effort on both our parts, it stops "gasping" and begins to breathe normally. It won't eat and is very listless.

I'm grateful that, thanks to Danny's suggestion of upping the temp in my incubator, I hatched ANY out--they had been dying in the shell until now. Now if I could JUST get them to thrive!

What's going on?

Chanda

(UPDATE) My lone chick is FINALLY showing signs of survival--looking more alert, moving around more, etc. I'm still trying to get him to be more active, but he'll come around, I hope.

Anyone have any idea why he'd "gasp" after drinking? I BARELY touched the tip of his beak into the water, and then I'd have to massage it down his throat. (Was he having to LEARN to swallow??)

 

[chickenhick]

When did they hatch? Chicks generally don't drink for a few days after hatching. They absorb the yolks so they have some fluid in their systems. Try not to force them to drink for at least a couple of days.

 

[chanda]

Really?? A few days?? He hatched out last night and, since I've now gotten some fluids in him, he's acting more "normal". I've never waited that long to get fluids into a chick before. I know that they absorb the nutrients from the yolk sac, but it was obvious that he needed SOMEthing...I just was having trouble GETTING it in him without choking him. (The least little drop made him gasp for air.)

I finally mashed a tiny bit of boiled egg yolk into some water, sucked it up into a syringe (sans the needle), and touched the tip of his beak with the tiniest droplet of it a few times. He's definitely improving now.

Chanda