Raising Half Dead Chicks from TSC

[ChickForLife]

I would use a hair dryer and dry them out good then go from there.

He is dry now but just doesn't look it...

 

[cmom]

The chick will die if you don't get it nice and fluffed out. After the chick is dried and warmed up then I would take some of the chick feed and put some of the water with the electrolytes in it and use a tweezers and give it a little at a time then let it rest then do it again and keep letting it rest in between it's little meals of chick mash. Good luck...

 

[ChickForLife]

The chick will die if you don't get it nice and fluffed out. After the chick is dried and warmed up then I would take some of the chick feed and put some of the water with the electrolytes in it and use a tweezers and give it a little at a time then let it rest then do it again and keep letting it rest in between it's little meals of chick mash. Good luck...
View attachment 2619387

Alright, I cleaned him good this time so I think he should get fluffed out soon. I will go to TSC soon to get some electrolytes and maybe some buddies. Thanks!

 

[ChickForLife]

He died.

 

[Laura Anne]

So today around 5:30 PM EST I got some bantam chicks from TSC. I went there looking for ducks, but they were out , so I looked in the chick brooders. They all looked fine except for the Rhode Island Blue and bantam mix brooder, which I have no idea why they are in the same brooder. Well, half of the bantam chicks were wet because the new TSC waterers have huge gaps in between the bars which are a perfect fit for a bantam to slip through. Well now I am rambling, so two of the chicks in there were soaked head to toe. A bunch of the Rhode Island Blue's were "eating", dragging, and stepping on them. They were pretty much already dead but I told one of the staff the situation and offered to take home the two bad ones. He said he would take care of the rest. He gave them to me for free and I started to try and revive them. We went back to the car and turned the temperature to 90 degrees and gave them each a few drops of Nutri Drench by itself even though you are supposed to add it to water. By the time I we got home the chicks could stand and walk. I set up the brooder and put some more Nutri Drench in their water and gave them mush feed. They drank a lot of water than rested for awhile. Now it has been like 6 hours and their chest feathers and wings are fluffing up.

My problem starts here if you want to skip the story...

They won't eat and one of the two seem lethargic. The only way they will eat is if I force feed them. I have given them much and crumbles but nothing. Now on to the lethargic bantam. S/he kinda just sits there moving not too often unless I pick her/him up or scare her/him. Oh and I also gave them sugar water which they loved. They both chirp loudly but I can't tell what it is because they don't move much so I can't tell if it is heat and I have tried both hot and cold temperatures. I have no idea but I hope someone can help!

Pics below.

View attachment 2619054

Really nice of you to do, and I wish them the best. But the more I learn, the more convinced I am that if you have ANY alternate to getting your chicks at TSC, you should. I'm glad I have several!

 

[NatJ]

He died.

Sad, but unfortunately not surprising given how badly they were doing when you got them.

You certainly did a good job trying to help them!

Always sleeping and not eating much. Should I do anything? Force feed?

For future: you can check the size of their crop to know if they need more food. If the crop is empty, you might need to make them eat. But if they have food in their crop, sleeping should be fine. Baby chicks do need a lot of sleep in the first few days.

I prefer to go by the crop size because some chicks eat very quickly and are full, and some others are constantly picking at the food but not actually getting full. So just watching whether they are eating might leave me concerned about the wrong chicks.

 

[ChickForLife]

Sad, but unfortunately not surprising given how badly they were doing when you got them.

You certainly did a good job trying to help them!




For future: you can check the size of their crop to know if they need more food. If the crop is empty, you might need to make them eat. But if they have food in their crop, sleeping should be fine. Baby chicks do need a lot of sleep in the first few days.

I prefer to go by the crop size because some chicks eat very quickly and are full, and some others are constantly picking at the food but not actually getting full. So just watching whether they are eating might leave me concerned about the wrong chicks.

Thank you!

The crop was medium, more full last night.

They ate only once without me force feeding them and never even tried to again. I the the second one died because I washed it with a towel and it was wet and maybe I pushed too hard. I don't know.

 

[MamaBelle5]

Ultimately what mattered most was your act of kindness. Those poor babies were likely beyond saving, but you did the best you could and showed them love in their short lives. It may not feel like it, but that matters. You just reminded me of "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins, specifically:

Although you can't see them, you know they are smiling, each time someone shows that he cares.

 

[ChickForLife]

Ultimately what mattered most was your act of kindness. Those poor babies were likely beyond saving, but you did the best you could and showed them love in their short lives. It may not feel like it, but that matters. You just reminded me of "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins, specifically:

Although you can't see them, you know they are smiling, each time someone shows that he cares.

Thank you, that means a lot to me!

 

[Tonyroo]

You washed the chick and towel dried it? Chicks should never be wet. I was gonna suggest to have them lay on a covered heating pad to raise there body temp but guess it's to late. Sorry for your loss. Learn what you can from it, so you know if something like this comes around.