One of six seems to be a little lethargic

[MatthewDad]

Hello, everyone. First-time poster. First-time chicken raiser. Of our six chicks, one in particular sleeps more than the others, often sits down away from the others, and eats and drinks less. At times she runs and plays, too. And she does drink and eat. Still, most times we look in the brooder-box, odds are she is separated from the others (and resting).

The chick was dropped once from a low height but she doesn't show any physical signs of injury on wing, leg, or anywhere else. She's the red one in this picture:




We use electrolyte / vitamin booster in the water. She was robust a few days ago, and I still see her run and play, sometimes.

Is this just normal variation? Or does it suggest an illness?

Thanks.

 

[3riverschick]

This chick doesn't look like it feels well. Until you can figure out if she is sick or not, separate her from the other chicks. She may be injured inside and if so, probably nothing you can do. I have one suggestion. If she isn't feeling well, her G.I. tract isn't working efficiently. This means she isn't getting the benefit of all the food. Vitamins and electrolytes are good. But she needs more than that to survive. We couldn't survive well on Gatorade. There is a company called Bovidr Labs which specializes in making emergency nutritional supplements for many species of creatures, including poultry. Their product was made for just this type of situation. It mainlines directly into the bloodstream without digesting. I have used it for years on my collies and poultry. i don't work for them, just a huge fan. Check out this post to see the hows and whys behind it. You can get Poultry Nutri-Drench at Tractor Supply and maybe your local feed store.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/746509/how-to-deal-with-travel-stress-in-baby-chicks
This should help until you ca discern what's troubling her.
Best Regards,
Karen

 

[EGHiggins]

Everything 3riverschick said is spot on. I just want to add though that this is pretty common, sometimes a chick just isn't destined for life. I've had ducklings or a couple years now and every summer there seems to be 1 that is just like that chick and he/she usually ends up dying. I have a hunch that it might be a developmental thing, like he/she is just a little behind the others physically.

 

[199787]

I had two out of 25 that were lethargic after arriving. One staggered around as if it had a rough night out at the bar, but recovered on it's own in a couple hours. The other required me to put it by the water before it would drink for days. She wouldn't eat feed. I fed her hard boiled egg yolk by holding her in one hand and a shot glass with half the egg white and crumbled yolk in the other many times a day. This went on for several days. Finally she started eating and drinking on her own. 3weeks later she is still a runt, but doing great. Is yours eating/drinking?

 

[199787]

I re-read your post and I saw that you had them for a few days before this one acted sick. Sorry if my last answer was not relevant.