Not sure about his behavior.

[Sylviaanne]

Found one of my 6 week old chicks standing in the run, not doing anything. I know my Crested Polish roo chases some of them, especially away from the food. I have 3 pans with food in them but the chicks that are outside get chased away. One pan in the coop and 2 outside. I went toward this chick and it didn't run. I think it's a cockerel but the feathers on the wings are 2 different lengths so I'm not sure. Anyways, it was standing funny, one foot curled under and it let me pick it up. It feels like practically skin and bones. I brought it in and set it on the table while I cleaned the brooders for my 3 week olds and 1 1/2 week olds. It watched but didn't move. I wasn't going to put it in with the 3 week olds but got distracted and did. I sure hope it's not sick. Anyways, it ate and drank but didn't actually act friendly or antagonistic to the other chicks. I have kept an eye on it but it doesn't seem to be getting any better, no worse, just no better. My birds are crazy, I hold them a lot when they are little but as they grow, they act like I am a flying predator and run and holler when I approach them. So this one is letting me hold it and pet it and talk to it without trying to get away. It will lay on me if I lean back or I can sit it on the desk here in front of the keyboard and it will watch everything but not try to get away. I can feel nothing in it's crop. Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks, Sylvia

 

[azygous]

The key to gauging whether a chicken is sick or not is its poop.

Is it pooping or not pooping? is the first question. The second is what color is the poop? If it's green but very, very scant, then the chicken isn't eating for some reason. It may be chased away from the feeders and is starving. If chickens get chased away from food often enough, they learn they don't have permission from the others to eat, so they won't.

If the poop is green and watery, it could be an intestinal infection. Blood in the poop is a very serious disease.

Feel the crop again. Can you feel something like a hard rock the size of a walnut? That could signify impacted crop, and a dose of olive oil and then massaging the crop might cure it.

That's just a start. You need to observe this little guy for a while. Confine it in a crate so you can know for sure what the poop looks like.

I would also get some Poultry Nutridrench and give it on some boiled egg yolk. Get some nourishment started in case it's starving.

 

[Sylviaanne]

The key to gauging whether a chicken is sick or not is its poop.

Is it pooping or not pooping? is the first question. The second is what color is the poop? If it's green but very, very scant, then the chicken isn't eating for some reason. It may be chased away from the feeders and is starving. If chickens get chased away from food often enough, they learn they don't have permission from the others to eat, so they won't.

If the poop is green and watery, it could be an intestinal infection. Blood in the poop is a very serious disease.

Feel the crop again. Can you feel something like a hard rock the size of a walnut? That could signify impacted crop, and a dose of olive oil and then massaging the crop might cure it.

That's just a start. You need to observe this little guy for a while. Confine it in a crate so you can know for sure what the poop looks like.

I would also get some Poultry Nutridrench and give it on some boiled egg yolk. Get some nourishment started in case it's starving.

I have not seen it poop or any that I can be reasonably sure belongs to it. I will separate it to see what it looks like. It is still alive and doing ok, not good IMO, just ok. Just went and got it, while it didn't run from me or try very hard to get away from my hand, it did walk away. No walnut in it's crop but crop feels like it is there now, soft but it doesn't feel like there is much in there. I have seen it eat and drink but it doesn't do it greedily like the others. I think what you said about it not feeling like it has permission to eat is correct. It is the biggest bird in this brooder but does not challenge the others for food. It seems to eat the bare minimum and then backs off. If I separate it and it hasn't been eating because it doesn't have permission, might it perk up because it's alone? I won't have any money until at least Thursday but would boiled egg yolk tempt it to eat? I have been putting some DE in their food outside, the food in the house is medicated chick starter.

It is sitting in front of the keyboard acting like it is going to sleep. Does not object in any way to being petted.

Just stood up and pooped. Looks normal to me. It wasn't what I would call scant but it wasn't much.

 

[azygous]

It sounds like you have a weak, sick little chick on your hands.

I would keep it separated from the others, give it high protein things like yogurt, boiled egg yolk, tofu, etc, and water, and watch it.

There are so many things that can go wrong with chickens, sometimes you'll never find out what it is that make them sick.

If it won't eat, you can try bringing in a chick to keep this one company, one who doesn't pick on this sick one. Sometimes that's enough to give it permission to eat.

 

[Sylviaanne]

It sounds like you have a weak, sick little chick on your hands.

I would keep it separated from the others, give it high protein things like yogurt, boiled egg yolk, tofu, etc, and water, and watch it.

There are so many things that can go wrong with chickens, sometimes you'll never find out what it is that make them sick.

If it won't eat, you can try bringing in a chick to keep this one company, one who doesn't pick on this sick one. Sometimes that's enough to give it permission to eat.

He does eat and drink but not enough. I have a little cockerel the same age, those of the same age are not picking on each other. But he was in with younger chicks who were not picking on him. Is it possible that it would take several hours to a couple of days for him to understand that he can eat again?

 

[azygous]

There are many reasons why chickens won't eat, and social restriction is only one of the many. All you can do is offer food. When a healthy chicken is hungry, they eat. Most healthy chickens will eat anything that is offered. After the buddy is in with this one for half a day, I'd expect them both to be eating equally if they're both equally healthy.

Understand that some chickens are hatched with defective little bodies, and because of it are prone to sickness. You may lose this one. Often we have no clue what ails a chicken until after they're dead and we cut them open, and often, not even then.

Why don't you observe your little guy for the next 24 hours, write down all his symptoms and behavior, and post on the forum for emergencies and illness.

 

[Sylviaanne]

There are many reasons why chickens won't eat, and social restriction is only one of the many. All you can do is offer food. When a healthy chicken is hungry, they eat. Most healthy chickens will eat anything that is offered. After the buddy is in with this one for half a day, I'd expect them both to be eating equally if they're both equally healthy.

Understand that some chickens are hatched with defective little bodies, and because of it are prone to sickness. You may lose this one. Often we have no clue what ails a chicken until after they're dead and we cut them open, and often, not even then.

Why don't you observe your little guy for the next 24 hours, write down all his symptoms and behavior, and post on the forum for emergencies and illness.

But he's 8 weeks old, it wouldn't be a defective body after this long would it? Thank you so much! Sylvia

 

[azygous]

Defects can manifest at any time, from days old to several years. Some defects make a chicken more susceptible to sickness and don't show up for months or years. Just like in people. Some are always sickly while others never have a sick day in their lives.

Yours may have had a weakness for being able to ward off bacteria or maybe he has trouble with his crop and gizzard functioning properly and they're not processing the food he eats.

Like I said, there are hundreds of ways a chicken can fail.

 

[Sylviaanne]

Defects can manifest at any time, from days old to several years. Some defects make a chicken more susceptible to sickness and don't show up for months or years. Just like in people. Some are always sickly while others never have a sick day in their lives.

Yours may have had a weakness for being able to ward off bacteria or maybe he has trouble with his crop and gizzard functioning properly and they're not processing the food he eats.

Like I said, there are hundreds of ways a chicken can fail.

Um, I just read a post that has a link to when and how to change feeds for different ages. When I put these chicks outside it was about 1 1/2 weeks ago, the post said that layer crumbles shouldn't be fed to chicks younger than 6 weeks. These chicks are about 6 1/2 weeks old and I have been feeding them the crumbles since I moved them out there. Could that be what is wrong with him?

 

[azygous]

No. It's the extra calcium in layer feed that isn't good for growing bones. The chicks haven't been exposed to the extra calcium long enough to do any harm. As a rule, a mixed flock should all go on a flock grower ration, with oyster shell for the layers in the flock, until the youngsters begin to lay, then you can go back to layer for everyone.

I would just take a wait and watch approach to this odd chick. See how it behaves in a couple more days. It may improve and act like the others by then.