PLEASE HELP

[Lululilchick]

Hi, I'm new to raising chicks. I have a 5 day old chick. She/he (not sure which yet) is standing up, eyes closed, and chirping. I've given her/him some normal and electro light water and she/he has been eating. She/he hasn't pooped in couple of hours. She/he used to be with two other chicks but they passed away and I have no clue why. I don't want her/him to die. Is what she/he is doing normal? Is she/he just lonely? Can I get another baby chick and put it with her/him or would that not work? She/he moves around occasionally but is always chirping. Is she/he ok? What should I do?

 

[ellend]

Chirping can be fear / lonliness, but eyes closed is very concerning. What temperature is your brooder? At 5 days old, 90 - 95 F is needed, with no drafts. Make sure the brooder is in a quiet place, undisturbed--chickens are prey animals, and fearful when exposed. A corner to hide in with the cage sides covered would help relieve anxiety. Keep handling to the bare minimum necessary. If your brooder has been proper temperature, (95 under the heat source, at leat 5 degree cooler at the other end) & water has been kept very CLEAN, and you are using medicated chick crumbles, (or if unmedicated crumbles the chicks have NOT been on the soil or grass) and chicks have not contacted other chickens or their housing, then I think u might have gotten sick chicks. DO CHECK for pasty butt, of course. If u are not using medicated chick crumbles and you exposed them to grass or soil, might be coccidiosis. Corid is used for that (Tractor Supply) but you would have to act very quickly. If chicks have eaten grass or treats other than crumbles and very soft foods like scrambled eggs, if they haven't been offered chick grit first, their gizzard can't grind the foods to digest. No chick grit needed if they eat ONLY crumbles. That's all I've got. I have had poor results treating chickens' illnesses. Prey animals hide illness, and by the tI'm you recognise it, they are often pretty far gone. I hope your baby does well. Sorry for your chick losses.

 

[My Pretty Pekins]

The chirping, is like a call for Mum, or even other chicks company. Occasional chirping is happy, but continuous is not good. I don't think the poop matters too bad, just be alert because if by the end of the day he/she still hasn't you may need to try something else.

I think you're right about the chick being lonely, maybe you could try getting several more (two chicks alone aren't enough, even with 5 our chicks cheeped a lot when Mum wasn't there to keep them warm).

 

[ellend]

Don't get another chick yet. You don't know what's going on and whether your chick is contagious. Since 2 have died, unless you can identify the reason why (cold brooder, etc.) You would just be exposing a new chick to whatever is causing the deaths.

 

[ellend]

Hi, I'm new to raising chicks. I have a 5 day old chick. She/he (not sure which yet) is standing up, eyes closed, and chirping. I've given her/him some normal and electro light water and she/he has been eating. She/he hasn't pooped in couple of hours. She/he used to be with two other chicks but they passed away and I have no clue why. I don't want her/him to die. Is what she/he is doing normal? Is she/he just lonely? Can I get another baby chick and put it with her/him or would that not work? She/he moves around occasionally but is always chirping. Is she/he ok? What should I do?

 

[ellend]

Be CERTAIN there are NO coated lightbulbs in the chic's room. Have any Teflon coated pans been overheated in the house? That will do them in also. Coated light bulbs are often marketed as "shatter resistant."

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Many chicks at this age can die of shipping stress if they came from a feed store or shipped in the mail. They tend to be overlooked and caretakers may not be that observant of running out of water or pasty butt. Some stores are using nipple waterers and have bantams mixed with regular chicks. I have observed where bantams could not reach the water. If I buy feed store chicks, I want them as soon as they come in. My friend just got 6 baby chicks at a local feedstore, and 2 out of 6 died the next day. That is a bad percentage. If the chicks were hatched at home, incubator infections or hatching problems can be possibilities.

 

[Lululilchick]

I did't give them grass but I did put ricks from outside in there brooder so they would have somewhere to stand. I read somewhere that they like roosting. Could that mean I need medicated food?

Also would it help the anxiety if I stayed with the chick or played chick chirping sounds? I played them for a couple minutes and she seemed to become a little more quiet.

I'll give her some cooked egg yolk and chick the lightbulbs.

 

[ellend]

would it help if I stayed with the chick?

The chick will probably be less stressed if left alone. You could try hanging a feather duster for it to go under. Your motives are so kind, to want to give it company and comfort, but to the chick you are a HUGE scary thing.
I forgot to mention no cedar shavings; they're toxic.
Forgive me if you know all this already; I'm just trying to think of everything that could possibly go wrong.
If you have a hatchery within driving range of you, they might allow you to pick up chicks, entirely avoiding the stress of shipping. I order from the hatchery "near" me; they are out the hatchery doors and into their toasty brooder in less than 1-1/2 hrs. Saves a lot of stress. Again, I wouldn't do that until this chick is completely recovered, and I'd get some darned good sanitizer for everything the chick even shed dust on, first. If you are picking up, the hatchery might even waive the minimum number, and sell you just a few for pets.
I went in for 3. Came out with 5. Chicken math is to blame.

 

[ellend]

I did't give them grass but I did put ricks from outside in there brooder so they would have somewhere to stand. I read somewhere that they like roosting. Could that mean I need medicated food?

Also would it help the anxiety if I stayed with the chick or played chick chirping sounds? I played them for a couple minutes and she seemed to become a little more quiet.

I'll give her some cooked egg yolk and chick the lightbulbs.

I wouldn't think the bricks caused a problem. They need to ingest coccidia to get coccidiosis.

I can't understand not using medicated chick starter. I know some people are very convinced that every step has to be organic, but I vaccinate my children. Medicated starter is like 1/2 of a vaccine--it gives them some temporary reduction of the coccidia they will pick up, while their own immune system is gearing up to fight off large numbers of them without medication when they are a bit older. Seems like a no-brainer to me. I love organic. I believe alternative medicine can be very helpful for many things. I read up on wild plant medicine uses for backwoods issues. BUT--I believe alternatives are adjuncts for traditional medicine for serious issues, not replacements. You need to balance risk and benefit. Antibiotics are not good unless the right ones are used for the particular bacteria (useless for viruses) and only work if the proper dose and timing and duration are utilized. Improper use of them causes the breeding of antibiotic resistant (REALLY resistant...) bacteria. That doesn't mean antibiotics are bad, they just need to be used with discrimination. I don't want to lose a chick to coccidiosis, because although Corid is wonderful, chicks often die anyway--often because treatment comes too late. I want to skip that awfulness altogether, so medicated chick starter is for me.