Overheated chicken! Need help ASAP! Paralysed, Not Eating, and is a MAMMA HEN!

[Eggcessive]

Can you try putting the chicks with the broody, and see how they do? I would offer some electrolytes in the water. Some water added to a little dish of chicken crumbles and along with the usual dry crumbles would be good to get fluids into her.

 

[NatJ]

do you think with this warm weather the chicks will be fine in their usual coop at night?

Given that there are 7 chicks, and they are 3 weeks old, and the weather is hot enough to be causing problems for the hen, I think there is a good chance the chicks will be fine without her to keep them warm. Of course they need shade, and some shelter in case of rain or heavy wind, but you probably already provided those things.

If the chicks are usually with other adult chickens, I do not know if they will be okay without the hen to protect them, or if you will need to keep them separate (watch how things are going, then decide.) If they are already separated from other adult chickens, you will not have to think about that.

How warm is it? Can you give temps in both C and F?

That definitely would help!

 

[NatJ]

I would offer some electrolytes in the water.

And I will add the usual warning, to provide plain water in addition to the water with electrolytes. (Electrolytes can be helpful. Too much can be harmful. For situations like this, chickens usually make good choices when they have both options.)

 

[Abbyandherchicks]

Thankyou for all of these wonderful suggestions everyone! The temperature was 36 degrees celcius! I am so pleased that my Lacender Sussex (the mum) has made a full recovery. After her chicks had a day alone, I decided to see if she wanted to take her babies back- and of course she did! They are now all happy together and safe! After she got her energy back she started moving her legs and walking around inside, I knew then it was time she went outside. I made sure she had water and food in her stomach before trialing her with her chicks and it was a simple task in the end!

If anyone ever experiences this: an overheated hen- I would recommend to:
- bath the hen in cool (not cold) water.
-keep the hens feet cool- I kept a wet cloth in her feet
-keep her in a safe environment that is shady and cool (I used my laundry near a window)
- ELECTROLITES!! This definetly helped and gave her a boost!
- providing different food options (nothing too foreign)- I used: scrambled eggs, porridge, and chick feed with water!
- Also give them attention, reassure them!

Would anyone have any ideas what my next step with this clutch of chicks and my lavender Sussex would be? -In regards to sexing chicks, separating mamma and babies (what age if so) and any other important information!
Thankyou!

 

[NatJ]

I am so pleased that my Lacender Sussex (the mum) has made a full recovery.

Thank you so much for updating! And for telling which things were most helpful, so we can all learn from your experience.

The temperature was 36 degrees celcius!

Almost 97 degrees Fahrenheit, for those of us who aren't used to Celsius.
Yes, that is definitely hot weather!

Would anyone have any ideas what my next step with this clutch of chicks and my lavender Sussex would be? -In regards to sexing chicks, separating mamma and babies (what age if so) and any other important information!

Sexing chicks: watch for males to get bigger combs & wattles that are bright red, while their sisters have smaller combs & wattles that stay pale for a much longer time. You can post pictures in the "what breed & gender" part of the forum to get help figuring it out, if you are unsure. Three weeks is generally a bit young for sexing, but I would expect most males to become obvious within the next month or so.

Separate chicks from the mother:
If you want to sell the chicks or give them away, you can do that at any time.

If you want to put the hen back with a flock of adult chickens, you can probably put the chicks in with her. Most hens will protect their chicks from other adult chickens if needed, and most adult chickens will respect that. This does not work in tiny coops that crowd all the chickens together, but usually does work well if they have enough space that they can spread apart a bit and let each group have some personal space. I would try it and watch what happens, if you want them all all live as one big flock in the future.

If you do not have any other chickens, there is no need to separate the hen and chicks at all. (Exception: depending on how many males among the chicks, you might have to remove some, but you would have to do that regardless of whether the hen was separated from the chicks or not.)

As they grow up, the males will probably start to mate with their mother and their sisters. This is typically not any more of a problem than any other male/female chickens mating, just a thing to consider if you are trying to control which birds produce chicks for the next generation.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

^^^ Very good answer! When our two broodies co-parented a bunch of chicks, they were all together with the flock within a few days. As @NatJ said, mama hen will protect them from the others if there is a need but there never seemed to be a need. The aunties all looked at the babies like, Oh, look at that, SweetMom and Atilla's eggs finally hatched, and went on about their business. It was only when the chicks were weaned, at about 4 weeks or so, that they might get a peck once in a while at snack time for not respecting their elders or crowding, or not waiting their turn. In other words, with mom close by, integration was seamless. Nature knows her business.