Please help with weak baby chicken!! He keeps falling asleep?

[new_here]

For the first few days after hatching, food/water isn't a big issue; they're still digesting the yolk they absorbed immediately prior to hatching. It's not uncommon for a chick to sleep for up to 48 hours after hatching too. Being born is hard work.

That's a relief!
The thing is that it doesn't sleep in the literal term. He doesn't just sit there and sleeps. He gets up, walks around and after a minute he just stops and rests his head on the ground for a few seconds or minutes (sometimes while standing up and sometimes sitting down). After another minute or so he raises its head and this thing continues over and over again... Is this normal behaviour for a sleepy chick?

Just did a check on him (it's 10 PM here)... He's cuddled with his mom and his sibling... What a fun day he had: enjoying the fresh air with the family! He already exceeded my expectations of him... Let's see if he can make it through the night... Fingers crossed

 

[Aapomp831]

That's a relief!
The thing is that it doesn't sleep in the literal term. He doesn't just sit there and sleeps. He gets up, walks around and after a minute he just stops and rests his head on the ground for a few seconds or minutes (sometimes while standing up and sometimes sitting down). After another minute or so he raises its head and this thing continues over and over again... Is this normal behaviour for a sleepy chick?

Just did a check on him (it's 10 PM here)... He's cuddled with his mom and his sibling... What a fun day he had: enjoying the fresh air with the family! He already exceeded my expectations of him... Let's see if he can make it through the night... Fingers crossed

That is normal for chicks. They sleep in 1 minute increments and then get up and go about as if they’ve slept for 8 hours, then just randomly fall over, asleep. It’s happened with every brood I’ve had and I’ve had a lot. It used to freak me out too now I find it adorable and endearing.

 

[new_here]

That is normal for chicks. They sleep in 1 minute increments and then get up and go about as if they’ve slept for 8 hours, then just randomly fall over, asleep. It’s happened with every brood I’ve had and I’ve had a lot. It used to freak me out too now I find it adorable and endearing.

That is very helpful to know!!! Thanks a lot! You just made my night a little better!! I was very worried that it might indicate other problems! But let's hope he's just sleepy!!

 

[new_here]

Just went outside and checked the little one. Still there! A lot more active today: more chirping and walking, also more eager to follow the chicken around and to run under her to get warm. Still falling asleep, but not as often I'm inclined to think. Still no eating, but will try more today! Is it still safe for him to drink sugar water (he also drank yesterday) or should I stick with plain water with some vitamins in case he doesn't eat today?

 

[ValerieLovesChickens]

Just went outside and checked the little one. Still there! A lot more active today: more chirping and walking, also more eager to follow the chicken around and to run under her to get warm. Still falling asleep, but not as often I'm inclined to think. Still no eating, but will try more today! Is it still safe for him to drink sugar water (he also drank yesterday) or should I stick with plain water with some vitamins in case he doesn't eat today?

Try making a mash, with chick starter food and water. Some chicks just dont show an interest in food or water for up to 3 days, then they turn into ravenous little dinosaurs. LoL His behavior is very normal, no 2 chicks are alike. If at age day 4 he is still like this, then I would be somewhat concerned. Try to relax and enjoy the wee one, they grow so fast! *hugs*

 

[BDutch]

Good to hear the chick is improving.

I would add less sugar today and stop with the sugar completely tomorrow, because the sugar is not good food for a chick. And it may cause a lack of appetite.

Crumbled egg is good food for weak and newborn chickens. Can you boil and crumble an egg and mix it with some chick feed or bread-crumbs? Maybe the chick starts to eat when he gets hungry.

 

[Lexi108]

Just yesterday the first egg hatched and out of it came a chick as strong as it can be. The next one, however, when I saw it, I got scared. He just stayed on his side breathing.
We got it out scared that a chicken might have stepped on him or will be stepped on and put it in a nice warm box with a hot bottle of water. Throughout the day, he showed promising improvements: started chirping, tried moving around (although kept falling over). He couldn't open his eyes and we thought they were glued together, so using a QTIP with warm water we slowly cleaned his head (this was after 15 hours finding him). At night, seeing his state, we thought that it would be best to give it back to its mother, who is already taking care of his/her brother/sister because we weren't sure if it's going to survive the night, and it would be in his best interest to spend the time with its mother. Today when we looked we saw that he started staying on his own and even making a few steps.

Concerns:
1. We say multiple time that the chicken steppes on them and we are worried that she might hurt the weaker one unintentionally. Will it be a problem for him?
2. His sibling is already eating as his mother taught him and drinking water, this one doesn't seem to want to eat or drink. We gave it water with a little bit of sugar and even put some of its food in it to provide him with some vitamins. He drinks it if we hold him and slowly dip his head in the water, but it doesn't eat on his own... Is this a problem for a two-day-old chick? Also, how often are we supposed to feed him to make sure he has the best chance? (we saw it poop)
3. He didn't open his eyes but now after we used the Qtip does... but we are unsure if he can see? How can we be sure?
4. The behaviour that we are most concerned about: He moves around for some seconds/minutes and then seems to fall asleep?? Like he just walks/stays for a few seconds/minutes and then he just put its head on the ground. While the day before he wasn't even able to keep his head up (and also showed this behaviour) now he can but always seem to fall asleep while doing something. Now he can stay on his legs and slowly lets his head on the ground, then after some seconds wakes up and after other seconds it happens again. Is this because he is tired or isn't getting enough energy or is it something more worrisome(neurological maybe)??
5. The umbilical cord (i don't know if this is what its called in chicks) is still attached. Should we just leave it until it falls or cut it off?

Any answer to any of the questions would be very helpful!!! Thanks!!

*this is the first time we have baby chicks. We got the eggs when we saw that one chicken started fancying staying on her eggs (we don't have a rooster) and taught that maybe she wanted to be a mother and we were right!

I had a problem similar to this when my clutch of 7 hatched recently.The egg shells of the other babies hatching wrapped around one baby’s shell and I didn’t even notice it for hours. I went back and noticed it. Get the shells off and waited to see if it would come out. Hours later, still no progress. So I had to make the decision to hatch him/her myself. I got the job done but it was really weak. Wouldn’t lift its head, wouldn’t peep. I honestly thought it was dead at first. I kept a heat lamp on it and I made a little bit of sugar water in a spoon. I was really careful to feed it the sugar water. About 20 minutes later, brand new chick. Walking, peeping, fluffing up. I put it under mama and a month later, it’s thriving with its 6 siblings. So maybe try some sugar water. I would leave the umbilical cord alone, as it could start bleeding if you mess with it. It will fall off on its own. A warm water bottle is not enough. You need a heat lamp, that could play a very big factor in why it’s not thriving. Don’t put it under mama until it’s better. Good luck.

 

[Lexi108]

I had a problem similar to this when my clutch of 7 hatched recently.The egg shells of the other babies hatching wrapped around one baby’s shell and I didn’t even notice it for hours. I went back and noticed it. Get the shells off and waited to see if it would come out. Hours later, still no progress. So I had to make the decision to hatch him/her myself. I got the job done but it was really weak. Wouldn’t lift its head, wouldn’t peep. I honestly thought it was dead at first. I kept a heat lamp on it and I made a little bit of sugar water in a spoon. I was really careful to feed it the sugar water. About 20 minutes later, brand new chick. Walking, peeping, fluffing up. I put it under mama and a month later, it’s thriving with its 6 siblings. So maybe try some sugar water. I would leave the umbilical cord alone, as it could start bleeding if you mess with it. It will fall off on its own. A warm water bottle is not enough. You need a heat lamp, that could play a very big factor in why it’s not thriving. Don’t put it under mama until it’s better. Good luck.

Oh, my bad I didn’t see the update. New here lol. I’m glad it’s doing better!!

 

[new_here]

Try making a mash, with chick starter food and water. Some chicks just dont show an interest in food or water for up to 3 days, then they turn into ravenous little dinosaurs. LoL His behavior is very normal, no 2 chicks are alike. If at age day 4 he is still like this, then I would be somewhat concerned. Try to relax and enjoy the wee one, they grow so fast! *hugs*

The other one eats a lot!! This one still doesn't show interest in food. So far he seems to just seek walking and staying under the chicken, and of course sleeping. I will try to feed him what you suggested... I saw that he doesn't have a problem with water and something in it if I hold him and personally dip his beak in it, so if he doesn't eat the food of harder consistency I will just add more water. Right?

 

[new_here]

Good to hear the chick is improving.

I would add less sugar today and stop with the sugar completely tomorrow, because the sugar is not good food for a chick. And it may cause a lack of appetite.

Crumbled egg is good food for weak and newborn chickens. Can you boil and crumble an egg and mix it with some chick feed or bread-crumbs? Maybe the chick starts to eat when he gets hungry.

As far as with the sugar I read here and on other sites that it's only a short-term thing. I just wasn't sure how short, so very useful information you gave me there!!

The crumble egg meal is already being served to the other one since it came out of the egg. This one, just doesn't seem to fancy food right now. We'll see if he gets hungry today...