Please Help Me With Tiny! (and brooder question)

[Laurajean]

Manda, I did dip his beak in sugar water several times. I also made him your "oatmeal" but he took no interest in it despite beak dipping.

Just a short while ago I walked by and he was on his back, legs straight up in the air! I thought he was dead, but I picked him up and he's still here. He is in my hand right now. He seems quiet & happy in my hand.

This is emotionally gut-wrenching. I want so much for him to be okay. I've tried everything suggested with the exception of the vitamin drops (store closed until tomorrow).

Sorry if typos; Tiny is sleeping in my right hand, and I am typing this one-handed-lefty!

 

[wildorchid053]

i have itsy as in itsy bitsy.. she was sooo tiny less than 1/2 the size of all the others and they were born at the same time.. i took her and fed her nutridrench.. it is a vitamin/ electrolite mix that you put into the water and i mixed it with her medicated chick starter and made mush.. i added a hard boiled egg yolk also.. this i would feed to just her and she did just fine.. i did it about every 2 hours and in the night too. i did this for about 2 weeks till i felt she was big enough to start eating the chick crumbles.. she is now 4 weeks old and healthy as can be.. she will always be little but she is sooooo cute.. she acted the same as your baby.. like she wanted to get in there and eat but i think it was too big for her.. the mush worked great. i would set her on a wash cloth so she could get a grip and put her soggy food in a little left over dish and she would eat alot. gl with your baby if nothing else works just give the cooked egg yolk that is what they lived on for the last 3 weeks it is good for them now

 

[nittanyxi]

First let me say I don't have any chicks, I have eggs in an incubator. And second, I really don't know anything. You mentioned several times she likes to be held. Is it possible she is spending to much time out of the brooder and not keeping consistently warm enough? Maybe you could put her in her own private box inside the brooder and see how she does without distractions. chicks normally like to be together but if she is happiest alone in your hand maybe she just needs some alone time in the brooder to get some rest. Hope this helps

 

[Laurajean]

nittanyxi: No, she is definitely not spending too much time out of the brooder. I don't hold her for more than 30-60 minutes a day in TOTAL, not all at once. And part of that is to clean her pasty bum, which I must do.

A couple people have mentioned segregating her but I honestly don't see the benefit in that. She is not being picked on or bullied, in fact, they all leave her alone completely. They will be cuddling in a ball and she will be alone a foot away. So I don't think separating her will help honestly, although I appreciate the input.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I agree that seperating her would only add to her stress. Chickens are flock animals and don't do well as singletons. Something to cuddle with and some added feedings will help, if anything can.

 

[Laurajean]

I just lost her. I'm glad I was holding her since she seemed to like it in my hand. Can't believe how great of a loss I feel. She was so tiny and she tried so hard. I tried everything I could. Sorry, I cannot type and cry. Will check back in a bit; need to regain composure.

 

[Manda0227]

Sorry for your loss..

 

[gritsar]

I'm so sorry. You did the best you could.

 

[Laurajean]

Thank you very much. People are strange, because the response from my ex (supposed still friend) was that "although humans may see my nursing of her in the end may be considered exceptional and beautiful, in nature, it was perverse and wrong". Rather devastating to read, needless to say. I responded with a scathing email of examples of nature defying the odds and the typical "rules" of nature, but I still feel injured. No wonder it didn't work out. Sigh.... just a sad sad day.

 

[tammyd57]