My new chick has heavy, labored breathing

[Coop de Grille]

My chick is 11-12 days old and I have had her for 2 days now. Today she started with heavy labored breathing. I saw her drinking, and she is moving around some. If I put my hand in the brooder she will run. For the most part those she is sitting down. What is going on with her? I did a search on "labored breathing" but she doesn't seem to have all the symptoms I read. She gets up, she does not have a pasty butt and is drinking.

These are my first babies and I am at a loss of what to do.

 

[Chinchilla2]

Your temp may be a bit high for her. Lower it by raising the heat source or changing to a lower wattage bulb and see if that helps. They start getting hot, they pant like dogs.

Edited to add: Once you do that, if breathing does not return to normal then I would start an antibiotic just in case, providing you are not currently using a medicated feed. Also, what type of bedding/shavings are you using?

 

[Coop de Grille]

Ok, I just raised the light. The temp on the thermometer said 90. They are not eating medicated chick feed, just plain chick starter. I gave them a bit of scrambled egg today too. I have puppy pads with paper towels on top, no shavings yet.

 

[Coop de Grille]

What type of antibiotics do I need for this chick? I raised the heat lamp but she is still having trouble. None of the other chicks are in distress.

 

[Chinchilla2]

Try some Terramyacin (that's probably a mutilated name but I can't find my packet right now). Comes in a bag that is white and yellow. It's water soluble. I'd also separate that one out from the rest just in case it is coming down with something. Also, if everyone is staying away from the light still, raise it up a bit more. The 95-90-85 thing is just a guideline. Watch the chicks themselves. If they huddle up and are loud, they are cool. If they run to the corners and hide from the light, they are too warm. If they run around like little scurrying bugs all over the place, then they are good. I've had week olds that were comfy at 80 and had two weekers that shivered at the same temp. Each batch seems to be a little different than the rest.

Get some medicated feed while you are out and about. It's generally a good idea to use the medicated feed for at least the first 2-3 weeks of age. Some will even suggest keeping them on medicated until at least 6 weeks.

 

[Coop de Grille]

Can I give her human antibiotics? I have 250 mg Amoxicillan (sp?) in powdered form that I can reconstitute.

 

[Chinchilla2]

I would have no idea what the dosage rate would be on that. Perhaps someone else has a good idea. At the very least this should bump you up on the list again.

 

[nurse_turtle]

Quote:
No. You can't. If all your chick is doing is heavy breathing, it's either too hot in the brooder or too humid. Even humans have a hard time breathing in a sauna.