I hope I don't make this post too long and lose everyone. I talk too much and get wordy so bare with me.
I have a chick that is not quite five weeks old that is not feeling well. Her hatch mate is in the same brooder with another chick that is a week younger. The other two brooder mates seem to be doing fine but I did notice that her hatch mate pooped and there were traces of blood so this is particularly why I think the one chick named Grandmother Pearl is so sickly with cocci.
I rushed to buy Corid and mixed it in the water per the directions that I found here on backyard chickens. The other two chicks are getting the water easily from their waterer because they are up and running around.
Grandmother Pearl, however, is so sick that she can't even stand up. She is fairly limp and of course not eating because she is not strong enough to get to her food or water. She feels frail and has a sharp keel. I have been "force" feeding her boiled egg today off and on. I have been "force" feeding her water that is mixed with the Corid. I use the word force lightly as I know from rehabbing songbirds and pigeons that I can't force water down her or she will aspirate it so I have been giving dropperfulls over her nostrils. I think she has perked up a tiny bit because she is at least more alert and will pop her head up. I think she was also dehydrated because she could not get to her food so I think forcing the water has helped with the lethargy.
I was out of town for two weeks so their care was on my husband and my kids and they assured me they were fed and watered as they should have been and their litter changed regularly. I got home at 1am last night to find Grandmother Pearl in a very sickly state. Everyone states that in the morning she was fine and up and running around when my husband changed their litter. I guess she must have gown down hill quickly although I suspect that she was actually ill prior to this because even when I left a couple of weeks ago her feathers looked ragged. Now she looks very ragged. We thought maybe that was just how she was supposed to look.
So my questions are:
*** Should I be force feeding her some other type of food other than egg?
***Will she digest that egg without having grit?
I heeded the advice of quarantining the chicks before letting them be around my outside flock of five. I am worried that we may have transmitted to the other birds although I insisted that everyone wash their hands before going out to pet the outside flock.
***Should I be giving my outside flock a five day dose of corid in their water as well just to be safe? And ***how long do I collect their eggs and throw them out for?
I have the feeling that Grandmother Pearl is not going to make it as she really is in bad shape but I can't let go without at least trying.
I have a chick that is not quite five weeks old that is not feeling well. Her hatch mate is in the same brooder with another chick that is a week younger. The other two brooder mates seem to be doing fine but I did notice that her hatch mate pooped and there were traces of blood so this is particularly why I think the one chick named Grandmother Pearl is so sickly with cocci.
I rushed to buy Corid and mixed it in the water per the directions that I found here on backyard chickens. The other two chicks are getting the water easily from their waterer because they are up and running around.
Grandmother Pearl, however, is so sick that she can't even stand up. She is fairly limp and of course not eating because she is not strong enough to get to her food or water. She feels frail and has a sharp keel. I have been "force" feeding her boiled egg today off and on. I have been "force" feeding her water that is mixed with the Corid. I use the word force lightly as I know from rehabbing songbirds and pigeons that I can't force water down her or she will aspirate it so I have been giving dropperfulls over her nostrils. I think she has perked up a tiny bit because she is at least more alert and will pop her head up. I think she was also dehydrated because she could not get to her food so I think forcing the water has helped with the lethargy.
I was out of town for two weeks so their care was on my husband and my kids and they assured me they were fed and watered as they should have been and their litter changed regularly. I got home at 1am last night to find Grandmother Pearl in a very sickly state. Everyone states that in the morning she was fine and up and running around when my husband changed their litter. I guess she must have gown down hill quickly although I suspect that she was actually ill prior to this because even when I left a couple of weeks ago her feathers looked ragged. Now she looks very ragged. We thought maybe that was just how she was supposed to look.
So my questions are:
*** Should I be force feeding her some other type of food other than egg?
***Will she digest that egg without having grit?
I heeded the advice of quarantining the chicks before letting them be around my outside flock of five. I am worried that we may have transmitted to the other birds although I insisted that everyone wash their hands before going out to pet the outside flock.
***Should I be giving my outside flock a five day dose of corid in their water as well just to be safe? And ***how long do I collect their eggs and throw them out for?
I have the feeling that Grandmother Pearl is not going to make it as she really is in bad shape but I can't let go without at least trying.
