Please HELP, sleepy 3-day-old chick.

[Winderdear]

I'm worried that my shipped chick is a "failure to thrive", and would like some advice please, if anyone can offer any.

She was active the first two days, lots of energy, and was even somewhat active and interested in eating this morning, but since this afternoon she has been sleeping under the brooder plate all the time. The other girls are constantly in and out playing and eating, but Ichi is just sleeping. Earlier in the day she would come out for a drink, but I haven't seen her eat anything solid since this morning.

Because I was worried about her, I made her some egg yolk slurry with some sugar water and electrolyte/vitamin powder. I've been pulling her out from under the brooder plate and feeding her every 30 minutes or so, and she drinks the little droplets I put on her beak, but mainly she's just falling asleep in my hands. Her crop feels empty. She pooped a couple of times earlier while feeding her, but one was small and just white, the other had a small amount of brown with the white. When I set her down in the brooder, she stands still for a while, and then runs back under the brooder plate, though not at the super high speed of the other chicks.

We're going to try some Nutri-Drench using the method in this post, but I'm unsure of what else to do for her.

I'd love for someone to tell me that I'm overreacting and should just let her sleep. If you have any other advice for me I'd be so happy to hear it. Thank you!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm worried that my shipped chick is a "failure to thrive", and would like some advice please, if anyone can offer any.

She was active the first two days, lots of energy, and was even somewhat active and interested in eating this morning, but since this afternoon she has been sleeping under the brooder plate all the time. The other girls are constantly in and out playing and eating, but Ichi is just sleeping. Earlier in the day she would come out for a drink, but I haven't seen her eat anything solid since this morning.

Because I was worried about her, I made her some egg yolk slurry with some sugar water and electrolyte/vitamin powder. I've been pulling her out from under the brooder plate and feeding her every 30 minutes or so, and she drinks the little droplets I put on her beak, but mainly she's just falling asleep in my hands. Her crop feels empty. She pooped a couple of times earlier while feeding her, but one was small and just white, the other had a small amount of brown with the white. When I set her down in the brooder, she stands still for a while, and then runs back under the brooder plate, though not at the super high speed of the other chicks.

We're going to try some Nutri-Drench using the method in this post, but I'm unsure of what else to do for her.

I'd love for someone to tell me that I'm overreacting and should just let her sleep. If you have any other advice for me I'd be so happy to hear it. Thank you!

I too would recommend Nutri-Drench. The dosing directions are on the label for each age range. It has wide availabiliity and nutrients hit the blood stream once in contact with the digestive tract. They don't have to be digested so perk up happens quickly if at all.
A probiotic wouldn't hurt either. Gro2Max is formulated specifically for chickens.

 

[ChicNmom]

I had one like that in my newest group. I made a hard boiled egg and mashed up just the yolk really fine. I had to sort of mush it on the side of her beak for the first couple pf bites. Then she ate some on her own. I pulled her out of the group a few times for her to eat that. And she did. It seemed to perk her up and then she was eating with the others.


I know you said some poop came out but did you make sure there was no partial pasty butt blockage?


I hope she pulls through.

 

[Winderdear]

I had one like that in my newest group. I made a hard boiled egg and mashed up just the yolk really fine. I had to sort of mush it on the side of her beak for the first couple pf bites. Then she ate some on her own. I pulled her out of the group a few times for her to eat that. And she did. It seemed to perk her up and then she was eating with the others.


I know you said some poop came out but did you make sure there was no partial pasty butt blockage?


I hope she pulls through.

I too would recommend Nutri-Drench. The dosing directions are on the label for each age range. It has wide availabiliity and nutrients hit the blood stream once in contact with the digestive tract. They don't have to be digested so perk up happens quickly if at all.
A probiotic wouldn't hurt either. Gro2Max is formulated specifically for chickens.

Thank you for your advice. I gave her some nutri-drench. I don’t think it helped her, as she seems very tired, but it is bedtime for the chicks. I guess we’ll see in the morning if she pulls through.

Edit: I meant to respond to you both separately, sorry! ChicnMom thank you for your advice as well. I made sure there was no pasty butt or any sort of blockage, and she pooped every time I fed her. She had as much egg yolk slurry as I could get down her, which was a good amount I think. I’ll try the hard boiled egg yolk in the morning if she’s still with us. I‘m praying that she makes it too.

 

[Winderdear]

Ichi passed away last night. Thank you both for your advice. She was a beautiful chick, and I’ll treasure the time I spent with her, I just wish it had been a little longer.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Hopefully, your other chicks will remain healthy. It probably would not hurt to give each one a drop or two of the PND and make sure they are all eating and drinking.

 

[Winderdear]

Sorry for your loss. Hopefully, your other chicks will remain healthy. It probably would not hurt to give each one a drop or two of the PND and make sure they are all eating and drinking.

Thank you

I will certainly give them each a drop as you suggested. They are all happily eating and drinking together now, and there is nutri-drench in their water. I don’t feel worried about them, but I’ll keep a close eye on their condition anyway.

 

[TillyPeeps]

Ichi passed away last night. Thank you both for your advice. She was a beautiful chick, and I’ll treasure the time I spent with her, I just wish it had been a little longer.

Sorry for your loss. I just had a white silkie chick died the same way. You really did a great job to help her. Sometimes, we just cannot save them no matter how hard we try.

 

[Winderdear]

Sorry for your loss. I just had a white silkie chick died the same way. You really did a great job to help her. Sometimes, we just cannot save them no matter how hard we try.

I’m sorry for your loss as well. It’s so sad to lose them, especially so young. Thank you for your kind words

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I can tell you are hurt by this event but try to understand all creatures born or hatched aren't meant to become viable adults.
When incubating eggs, many embryos end up failing, sometimes in the first week, sometimes at the end and sometimes they hatch but don't have the vigor to survive long.
All one has to do to understand this concept is to look at humans in the same way. In spite of medical care and prenatal vitamins, 10-20 percent of human pregnancies, end up as miscarriages. 80 perecent of those end in the first trimester.
To carry this concept further, infant death rates would be through the roof without millions of dollars of medical equipment and dozens of prenatal staff.
All creatures aren't meant to survive. Nature is about survival of the fittest.
Your chick may have been saved if you had every piece of medical equipment and a staff of avian veterinarians and pathologists.