Please help me with this chick.

[Sweetpea3829]

Our last chick to hatch this morning isn't doing well. He had a difficult hatch to begin with, and we're not sure what happened during the rest of the day, as we had to leave early and didn't return until late afternoon. When we returned, we found him in a corner of the brood box, struggling and barely hanging on. We've segregated him from the other chicks, by placing him in a smaller box, close to the heat lamp. We gave him some water with a pipette and let him be and he's perked up quite a bit. But he's having a real hard time balancing himself and staying upright. He falls over, or falls backwards and can't right himself, etc. We think he may have floundered himself to a cooler corner of the brood box and then flopped over backwards and couldn't get himself upright to get back to the warmer part of the box.

But in the meantime, how do we help him? Will he eventually get strong enough to keep himself upright? If he flops himself onto his back and is stuck that way for the rest of the night (remember, he's in a small box near the heat lamp, so he can't get himself too cold), is that going to be bad for him?

 

[Ms Steak]

I have a chic in the same position. This is day 2 since she hatched. I am feeding her a porridge made with chick crumb, a bit of warm water and yoghurt. She seemed to fade during the night, but now seems a tiny bit perkier. It is all so worrying.

 

[Sweetpea3829]

How are you getting her to eat it? Our little chick will readily drink the water if I bring him to it, or use the pipette. I put some chick crumbs in my hand for him yesterday and he pecked at them, but I don't think he actually ate any.

He seems pretty strong, but it looks like his feet just don't work. He can move them and all..but I don't think they're helping him much with standing and balancing.

Is there anybody who has advice?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

It is really sad how chicks can go thru all the trouble of hatching and still not thrive :/
That being said, I had a couple of chicks hatch out the same way the last time I used my incubator. One was much worse off than the other. Anyway, I placed the worst one in a small teacup to keep its feet under it and fed it a very soupy mix of chick crumbs, water and some vitamins mixed in. I fed it every couple of hours (alot of work, especially at night- it was like having a newborn in the house). If I remember correctly, I fed it for 2 days and woke up the morning after and found it out of the teacup scooting around the brooder.
Your chick may just be weak from hatching and get its legs working soon. If not, I've found that if the chicks are kept fed and warm they can usually snap out of it. Good luck, I hope your little peepers makes it!

 

[Ms Steak]

I am feeding it with a spoon, but I don`t think she will survive. It is nothing like the other 5. They are really growing stronger.

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: Ok, the 1st 2 days, the chick doesn't need food. It lives off the yolk sac. That being said, your chick needs energy. You need nutrition which doesn't need to be digested. Specially formulated for the specific needs of poultry. There is such a supplement. Designed to meet the needs of poultry whose G.I. tract is compromised by some kind of distress or stress. Like your chick. See this thread for the how's and why's and dosage for Poultry Nutri-Drench by Bovidr Labs. http://www.bovidr.com/poultry.html ( can turn on your audio to hear speech too. )
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/746509/how-to-deal-with-travel-stress-in-baby-chicks
800,000+ birds agree.
Best,
Karen

 

[Ms Steak]

Thanks for this, but I am in the UK, and have no way to get that product. I hatched them all at home, so they haven`t had any travel stress. I am going to try ACV. I have to do something.

 

[countrycakelady]

Poly-vi-sol vitamins without iron would probably help too....best of luck...