Newly hatched chicken question

[BlakesWife]

I have one chicken that hatched out last night and just isn't acting like the other ones have, at all. As it hatched out, there was a vein in the egg itself still with a good amount of blood in it. The chick still had a piece attached to it (I call it the umbilical cord) so I figured it would let the rest of the blood go into chick. As of this morning when I went to check in on him, he's laying on his side, legs spread out, breathing but unable to get up. He just basically spins himself in circles every now and again but no where close to how the other chicks acted at this stage. He can't even sit upright, his head flops to the side, he has no support to be able to pick his head up. He can still move his head, but not able to actually pick it up. I tried sitting him up but again, his head won't stay up without support. Does he need some vitamin water, or is it a hopeless cause?

 

[Mahonri]

I've had some that start out slow like that. The vitamin water can't hurt.

Is it out of the bator and into the brooder now? Has it fluffed up?

Some that start out slow get better and do great. Unfortunately, some pass on. Natures way of keeping the next generation strong.

 

[BlakesWife]

He's out of the bator and into the brooder. It's definately fluffed up. All the other chicks at this point have definately been walking (wobbly of course, but still walking around) and very alert.

 

[Staceyfeindt]

I am having the same thing happen today too! My first time as well. Curious to see what people will say. I'm worried too! Mine's belly is swollen , is your chick's belly swollen too?

 

[BlakesWife]

No, not really swollen that I can see.
Problem with this chick is, we found it in mama's nest. She's hatching some right along w/our incubator hatches. Now, this broody hen has successfully hatched before. Anyways, when we found it, membrane was in late stages of drying, to the point where it was stuck to the feathers of the chick. The leg was sticking plumb out of the shell, as if it was able to get that out but nothing more before it started to severely dry out. Mama hen was trying her best to help it hatch along, but had moved it to the outter part of her nest. I'm not sure if she moved it after she realized it was hatching, or after she realized it needed help, but either way, chick was in trouble. We brought the egg/chick in....and began wetting the membrane to help remove the chick. Now, once we got it in the warmer, it stayed on its side and has been there ever since. It will literally spin in circles but it definately can't get on its legs and stay there. When I attempt to put it on its legs, it favors its left side. I dont recall which foot was sticking out when we first got it. I attempted to put a bandaid in place in case it is spraddle leg, but it's not helping the chick. He doesn't have enough power to keep his head up and falls instantly to his left side. I don't know what else to do. I've been giving it vitamin water, hoping the chick is just dehyrated and weak from being subjected to those conditions for that long. Husband said we should just give up on it. I don't want to do that just yet, as I have just started the vitamin water today.

 

[Gypsy07]

Sugar water maybe?

My first ever hatch, I had one that I probably 'helped' out of the egg too soon. It just lay around breathing really weakly for more than a day while the other three were all up and bouncing around. I fed it a couple of drops of sugary water every few hours with a syringe and after a while it perked up a bit and started to wriggle around, but it still couldn't sit up properly. It spent a couple of days rolling around and waving its legs in the air and I spent a couple of days holding it in an upright sitting position every so often to make sure its legs and feet got some practice at being in the right position. It caught up with the others after three or four days and turned out absolutely fine.

 

[BlakesWife]

Well it finally passed last night.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

my condolences... : ( Don't beat yourself up it happens sometimes...