My first baby peep is dying....

[beameuplord]

My little silkie finally hatched one chick Weds. It only took her 28 days ! Seriously ! She sat on it until it's little legs were splayed, so last night I pulled them together with a bandaid but it isn't eating and it gets weaker and weaker. It can't even hold it's head up now. I gave it sugar water and finally this evening I mixed a little Gerber rice cereal with the sugar water and gave it a bit from a dropper. I don't understand why it wouldn't eat. My friend who has raised chickens a lot longer than me brought me a bottle of poultry Nutridrench yesterday and told me to give it a dab from a dropper. I wonder if it was too much for it's little system. I trusted her because she knows much more than me. Any one know about this stuff?

TJ

 

[BeckyLa]

Depending on where you live....

If mama sat on it way to long, like you mentioned with the splayed legs, maybe it just got overheated. And since she was setting, she wasn't teaching it to eat and drink. It was probably to late (internal problems) by the time you knew it had a problem. I'm so sorry.....

 

[justusnak]

Tj...how is the little one doing this morning? Maybe you can get some polyvisol....infant vitamins. Give it a drop 2x's a day for a week. Hope you can get the wee one to eat. Maybe try some boiled egg yolk? mashed really well. Hope the small one pulls through. Let us know.

 

[JudyMcKinn]

It may not have been the little hen's fault, for that matter. Some of them just hatch weak, and there isn't much you can do. I have had some with splayed legs, and if they are strong otherwise, you can sometimes fix it with the hobble, but if the chick is also this weak, it was probably never meant to be. I'm sorry. Don't give up--you will have better luck next time.

 

[beameuplord]

Thank you for your kind words. Little "chicklet" didn't make it. I buried it in a plastic EAster egg this morning after having a good cry. It was so sweet and I wanted it so bad. I have wanted my hen to have peeps since I got her last year. She has set twice and had no luck.
The little one didn't seem to be weak at first, but I should have taken it from her I suppose until it was walking good. She is so broody I have to blast her off that nest. Are Silkies always that bad to stay on the nest? When I adopted her a few chicks several mos. ago, I put them under her and I thought she would smother them before she came off the nest. I finally had to physically remove her and put her and the dibs outside. I removed the cage she had her nest in today and she walked around and around the lot until I let her back in and then she just went in and sat where the cage used to be.

The little chick seemed to be normal except or its legs. It seemed to go down hill after giving it a drop of nutri-drench. I still wonder if it was just too strong for it's little system. I will never know. I have been thinking about just giving my chickens away. It has been one disappointment after another.

One roo + one hen = chicks...sounds easy but it ain't !

Blessings to all, TJ

 

[JudyMcKinn]

You mentioned giving it a drop of nutri-drench. I don't know if you know that a chick doesn't need anything to eat or drink for a couple days after it hatches. If you take it away from the mom, or buy from a hatchery, you just dip it's beak into the water to show it, and peck your fingernail in some feed you have scattered on a paper towel, or something--they learn easily.
I realize this one had problems, but just wanted to say that, and to not give up. They are so much fun to raise.