Please help. Immediately!

[Ravenwolf75]

I found one of my hens chick's just outside without mama. I know enough about chicks to tell that was way too cold. It's been under the heat lamp for bout 2. It keeps craning its neck over it's back and to can't keep it's eyes open. Despite my effort's it won't settle and sleep under the heat lamp. I'm holding it under my blanket, since it wants a heartbeat and it needs to sleep. It's about a day old. What should I do here?

 

[JaeG]

It must just still be too cold. Warm it up, add a hot water bottle to the cuddle maybe, but it should come right once it is warmed up.

 

[Ravenwolf75]

Are the blankets gonna be warm enough? It's very weak.

 

[JaeG]

Are the blankets gonna be warm enough? It's very weak.

You'll need to cuddle it right up against your skin. Share as much body heat as possible with it. You don't have a heater you could hold it next to? They do act very weak until they are warm enough so hopefully it's just the fact that it is too cold. You could also try making a little tent with a cloth right under the heat lamp. Wait for it to warm up then put the chick under the cloth and cover the chick up so it's like it's snuggled under a mother hen.

I had a button quail chick I found very cold and almost dead. It took me quite awhile to warm it back up next to our fireplace, so a bigger chick will take longer to get warm again.

 

[em_dawson]

Try giving it some sugar water to help balance the electrolytes. The ratio is about 3 tbsp sugar to each quart of water.

 

[em_dawson]

You can also rub your hands together for friction and then cup it in your hands. Breathe onto it with your warm breath.

 

[em_dawson]

If you have a blow dryer, you can try putting it on low and gently warming the chick up by letting it stand and cupping your hand behind it to trap in the heat. Be careful not to put the blow dryer too close or too hot. If it's too hot for your hand, it's too hot for the chick.

(Sorry for all the messages, I keep thinking of other options. Lol)

 

[Vickischics]

The heat lamp is your best option. Bring a friend with her if you can. Give it some electrolyte water. If you do not have any, look up the mixture online. Use a dropper or drip it into her beak or drop it onto her beak. Make sure you DO NOT get any in her nose vents.
You can also try to feed it feed with yogurt to soften the feed or use it in a scrambled egg. Keep her dry and warm. I've used a basket lined with cotton balls and covered the handle before to keep them warm while under a regulated heat lamp. Hope this helps.

 

[Ravenwolf75]

It's not interested in drinking anything, and I put it back in the cloth I have under the heatlamp. It's sleeping technically, but it doesn't look healthy. It's hard to tell it's alive. I don't have a better heating thing then my heat lanp or my body and blankets. And I doubt I can get my body heat anywhere near 95 degrees.

 

[Ravenwolf75]

The only problem with the heat lamp is it won't settle down, it keeps looking for mama. I cant bring it a friend and swaddling it (carefully) isn't working. I can't tell if it's moving around cuz it's too hot and trying to escape the heat, or cuz its too lonely to sleep.