On Wednesday I picked up my order at my local feed store. An EE & 2 Cochins. I have gotten other chicks from this store and they are all healthy. On the second day home one of the 3 new chicks, wasn't doing well. Wasn't eating. Just stood around peeping and started keeping her eyes shut & looking sickly. I took her back and exchanged her for another one yesterday. She was looking much better running around eating and acting "normal". Today she is only eating a little. Standing around and looking lethargic. There are 7 other chicks in with her and they are all fine, including the other Cochin that came out of the same bin at the store. Any ideas?
Make sure the food is ground up fine enough for her to get it, and that she isn't get shoved away. You could try hand-feeding her, try hard boiled egg bits. Give her a drop of poly-vi-sol twice a day. Make sure she is warm enough and not getting "run-over".
Thanks chookchick. Where do you get the poly-vi-sol? I actually have been giving them softened crumbles. They think it's quite the treat. And she did eat a little of that. I made sure that the others were letting her in. And I put her in front of the water and she did drink a bit too. The others aren't bothering or bulling her thank goodness. I am keeping a close eye on her. She's just really got me worried because she is sooo less active than all the others. But yesterday she was fine. Also this is the first time I have had a chick not do well and do not want to loose her. She's a beautiful blue Cochin.
poly-vi-sol is a baby vitamin liquid. You can find it in almost any pharmacy or pharmacy section of stores like WalMart. Make sure you get the poly-vi-sol WITHOUT iron.
This was happening to several of my chicks that were mailed ordered from a hatchery. They seemed to be severely dehydrated. Sugar water perked them up a bit, but for some it was too late. I had immediately given them gro-gel in their food and add quik-chik to their water, and I was trying to hand feed them and give water with dropper. The hatchery did say giving terramycin could help. Hope your chick does ok.
