Please help, baby chick is down!

[Breannab12]

Hi, I am new to this website and these forums and I’m new to raising chicks and having chickens, this is my first time. I’ve done a lot of reading but I can’t get a clear answer. My chicks were born on 7/11/18 and today is 7/18/18, so my chicks are a week old. I picked hatchery choice when I ordered them so I have a total of 17 birds and about 3 or 4 different breeds. One of my chicks (not sure what breed but I’ve been looking) I suspect is sick. She has white diarrhea, she sleeps most of the time, she can walk to get food and water but doesn’t do that very often, the heat lamp I have keeps the temp 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit (have to unplug it during the day since they’re in our shed and it gets hot enough), though I am about to start lowering the temperature now that they’re a week old. She even fell asleep in my hand when I was cleaning her vent. I thought she had a pasty butt but that wasn’t the case I discovered, just white diarrhea (her vent looks a little droopy but I don’t know if that’s normal or not). She doesn’t even run away from me when I reach to pick her up and inspect her like the rest do, she just looks at me while I cradle her and then she rests her head on my hand and closes her eyes. Please help, if you need any more information just ask. I heard about giving a sick chick boiled egg to give them some more nutrients so I put some out for my chicks (even though I only suspect the one to be sick) but none of my chicks took an interest in that. I’m going to try it again today. She also seems to have a labored breathing but I could be imagining that, I’ll have to keep looking. Here are some pictures:

This is her vent area after a I cleaned it and dried it.

She is on the left by the water after I sat her down and the others ran away from me. Please help me, I am desperate! I don’t want to lose a chick! Any response and help is greatly appreciated!

 

[ChickNanny13]

Can you get some Nutri Drench or Sav A Chick from the feed store (electrolytes & vitamins)? Did you hatch or purchase from the feed store or order?

When you place the heat lamp put it off to one side so they can move away from the heat as they need.

@Lady of McCamley @oldhenlikesdogs

 

[Breannab12]

Can you get some Nutri Drench or Sav A Chick from the feed store (electrolytes & vitamins)? Did you hatch or purchase from the feed store or order?

When you place the heat lamp put it off to one side so they can move away from the heat as they need.

@Lady of McCamley @oldhenlikesdogs

I can have my parents get some from Tractor Supply or have my brother drive me there to get some.

I bought them from Cackle Hatchery as newborn chicks, they were hatched on 7/11/18 and vaccinated against Mireks disease, they shipped that same day. I picked them up from the post office 7/14/18.

The heat lamp is in the corner and turned on throughout the night and morning and adjusted so it can stay within the temperature range. However, I’ll make sure it’s stays in the corner so it gives them room to cool off somewhere else.

Thank you for replying so fast, I really appreciate it!

 

[snow5164]

I’d get a few eye droppers too,mix up the nutri drench put a drop on the side of her beak and she will swallow it , don’t put it in her beak , just on the side .

 

[Breannab12]

I’d get a few eye droppers too,mix up the nutri drench put a drop on the side of her beak and she will swallow it , don’t put it in her beak , just on the side .

Okay, my brother is taking me to get some now. I’ll be sure to get the eye droppers too because I know we don’t have any. Thank you for your help, I’ll post updates on how she is doing afterwards.

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

While you are waiting for Nutri-Drench, give it some homemade electrolytes. Search” Homemade electrolytes recipe for chicks” on the Internet. Put drops of the electrolytes on her beak until she’s drinking it. Your little one will need food and water to stay alive. If you need to, mix her starter feed with water and the electrolytes and dropper feed it to her. It is important that she stays hydrated and feed. The nutrience will serve as a fuel to power her weak body. If you have any more questions, PLEASE ask. Good luck!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

All good advice above.

It sounds like travel stress and probably being too hot since she was weakened by the travel, she is more sensitive to the heat.

I totally agree your heat source is positioned wrong. It should be at one end while both food and water are on the other end so the chicks can span out away from the heat when they are too hot.

Runny white diarrhea is indication of being overheated.

Electrolytes eye droppered into her are essential at this point. Homemade or the Chick Saver type....Chick Saver being best as it has vitamins and mineral boosts as well.

I make a point to eye dropper all new hatchery or feed store arrivals to combat transition stress to avoid this kind of failure to thrive. Travel through post really takes it out of them.

Sounds like you will hopefully have things in hand shortly. Keep a close eye on this little one as chicks can go down quickly. If all is well, she should rally quickly too with electrolytes and some TLC.

Otherwise, she may be what is called failure to thrive which can be anything from bacterial overgrowth from hatching to internal issues.

But we'll hope for the best. Keep us posted.
LofMc

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

95-100 degrees is way too hot. Lower it down. You could be causing heat stress. I start at about 85-90 that first week, never hotter. As you can see all the others are away from the heat.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

@oldhenlikesdogs Good call....Yes...I didn't catch temp....that is way too hot for babes.

Raise heat (to lower temp) and move heat source.

Little chicks really don't need that much heat. I raise broody hatched chicks and watch them playing in freezing cold weather, with snow on the ground, only running to momma for quick warm ups, at a week of age! Those little down jackets work just fine.

I tossed away the heat lamp thereafter and use broodies instead as babes grow much better. You literally create hot house babes with artificial lamps that make for weaker grow outs when you need to transition to normal temps outside.

You might look into the mother heating pad method for your next try. It is much safer (from potential fire hazard) and mimics natural brooding and growth with chicks.


LofMc

 

[Abriana]

I hope your baby is ok. Please keep us updated!
Vitamins and electrolytes are a good thing to give her