my day old chick cant lift its head up! what do i do ?

chicken madd

Hatching
6 Years
Jul 13, 2013
3
0
9
i'm really worried. my day old chick cant lift its head up. its my only chick and was hatched naturally but hatched with what looked like its intestines hanging out they are slightly heeled now. i think it was born slightly early aswell. if anyone has any info about any diseases it could be or anything like that pleas reply x thanks x
 
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Your chick sounds like it may have been born early - what you see hanging out is probably the yolk sac. When the chick has fully absorbed the yolk (feeds him) it usually will dry out and fall off. Do not try to remove it now. Hatching is arduous for a baby chick - they can spend most of the day sleeping. They do not need food for 2-3 days, so don't worry about that yet. Even at that age they still fall sleep often, even standing up or eating or drinking. Put clean marbles in water dish so it is too shallow for him to fall in and drown.

He may do better after he has a good chance to rest. You can give him(her) a boost by getting Polyvisol infant drops (NO IRON) and giving him one drop (just inside his beak) 3 times day for a few days - he should improve within that time. Make sure he is warm enough in a brooder - and keep him safe from young hands and cats and dogs. You can bring the water to him and tap the dish with your finger so he knows that is something to drink. Newborns need a brooder temp about 95 degrees which is lowered gradually from week to week. You can use a brooder light securely anchored so it won't fall on the chick, or set fire to litter, and be certain the chick cannot reach it and get burned.

For more detailed info please go to the incubation/hatching thread.
 

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