I recieved an order of chicks on the 8th. I was very excited about them, but now I am really worried. On the 9th, I noticed that one of my welsummer chicks was not eatting. She was distressed, and cried loudly. All the other chicks are making happy peeping noises, eatting, drinking, falling asleep, and growing very fast...
today(the tenth), I noticed that she is now almost half as big as the other babies...I was very worried about her, because I could not tell if she had started eatting or not. Her crop was empty, so I decided she had not. I moistened some chick starter, and gave her about a cc of pedialite before I went to work. I got enough moist chick starter (mixed with plain yogurt) in her to where her crop had about a pinky tip's worth of food in it. Not as much as I would like (I used the other chick's crops as a gage), and I was extremely worried about her because she seemed weak, and distressed. Unfortunately, I could not stay home to nurse her, so I went to work. My sister is home, so she kept an eye on her. (she does not know how to take care of baby critters).
Around two hours before I could leave, my sister called me to tell me that the baby was wet, she didnt know how she got that way, and that she was not moving. I asked her to dry her off as best she could, move her to a smaller box, and make sure the heat lamp was nice and close. When I got home, I checked on her. She had dried out, but her feathers were all stuck together, as if she had gotten something on them...she was gasping for air, her neck was limp...and she was very quiet.
I immediately pulled her out, held her in my hands for a moment, once she livened up a little, I gently washed the crusted baby fuzz with warm water. I stuck her back under the heat lamp to dry her off. She stopped gasping, and I gave her a few drops of pedialite, and crushed egg yolk in water. She seems to be doing a little better. She is sitting up(not standing), and holding her head up...but I am still very worried about her. Her eyes are still mostly closed. What else can I do? I don't want her to die, and she is far from out of the woods. Please help!
today(the tenth), I noticed that she is now almost half as big as the other babies...I was very worried about her, because I could not tell if she had started eatting or not. Her crop was empty, so I decided she had not. I moistened some chick starter, and gave her about a cc of pedialite before I went to work. I got enough moist chick starter (mixed with plain yogurt) in her to where her crop had about a pinky tip's worth of food in it. Not as much as I would like (I used the other chick's crops as a gage), and I was extremely worried about her because she seemed weak, and distressed. Unfortunately, I could not stay home to nurse her, so I went to work. My sister is home, so she kept an eye on her. (she does not know how to take care of baby critters).
Around two hours before I could leave, my sister called me to tell me that the baby was wet, she didnt know how she got that way, and that she was not moving. I asked her to dry her off as best she could, move her to a smaller box, and make sure the heat lamp was nice and close. When I got home, I checked on her. She had dried out, but her feathers were all stuck together, as if she had gotten something on them...she was gasping for air, her neck was limp...and she was very quiet.
I immediately pulled her out, held her in my hands for a moment, once she livened up a little, I gently washed the crusted baby fuzz with warm water. I stuck her back under the heat lamp to dry her off. She stopped gasping, and I gave her a few drops of pedialite, and crushed egg yolk in water. She seems to be doing a little better. She is sitting up(not standing), and holding her head up...but I am still very worried about her. Her eyes are still mostly closed. What else can I do? I don't want her to die, and she is far from out of the woods. Please help!