Raising one day old chick? Help, please!

[Garjzla]

My hens, Phoenix and Pat, have been sitting on a nest for a long time. Once everyone started hatching, they abandoned them. Only the almost hatched and hatched ones though.

So far three out of four have died. The one left is a black silkie chick with a crooked beak. He seems healthy, but he's really tired and wobbly. I'm guessing, though, that being wobbly and tired is normal for a day old chick.

He gets hot really easily. I have to keep his box at 85 degrees or maybe even less or else he'll pant. Is this normal?

I've raised chickens for many years, but never one day old chick.

He's eating and drinking, so I think he's normal. He hasn't pooped yet, but I think that's because he just ate for the first time this morning.

Any advice?

 

[teach1rusl]

Remember, the lamp you're providing is not for heating up the entire brooder - it's only supposed to be a warm up spot - just as chick will run around and then go under momma for their warm up spot. So make sure the lamp is NOT heating the entire brooder up. The food/water should NOT be under the lamp either.

If he is cross beaked, you'll want to make sure his food/water dishes are deeper as he grows. The problem with scissor beak is that they often have a harder time picking up pieces of food and/or drinking...the deeper dishes better enable them to do so, because they can kind of scoop rather than pick.

Place a small mirror in there with him (on the non lamp side) and a stuffed animal if available.

Also, pet stores (reptile section) offers smaller bulbs than 250. Hopefully you're not having to use a 250 watt bulb????

 

[Garjzla]

Remember, the lamp you're providing is not for heating up the entire brooder - it's only supposed to be a warm up spot - just as chick will run around and then go under momma for their warm up spot. So make sure the lamp is NOT heating the entire brooder up. The food/water should NOT be under the lamp either.

If he is cross beaked, you'll want to make sure his food/water dishes are deeper as he grows. The problem with scissor beak is that they often have a harder time picking up pieces of food and/or drinking...the deeper dishes better enable them to do so, because they can kind of scoop rather than pick.

Place a small mirror in there with him (on the non lamp side) and a stuffed animal if available.

Also, pet stores (reptile section) offers smaller bulbs than 250. Hopefully you're not having to use a 250 watt bulb????

The lamp isn't heating up the entire brooder, but he doesn't seem like the brightest of chicks.
There's a shady spot, and a warm spot. Sometimes he'll go to the warm spot, lay down, and start panting. But he doesn't move, so I have to move him to the shady spot.

Thank you for the tip! He can eat and drink pretty well, and he pooped for the first time today so that's good.

I gave him a stuffed animal, and he loves it. I unfortunately don't have a small mirror, but he loves human interaction more than chick interaction anyway. He used to have a chick (who sadly died this morning) but completely ignored him.

I'm not using a 250 watt bulb. It's a normal heat lamp bulb meant for chicks, that I've successfully used for many years.

Thanks for the help!

 

[teach1rusl]

Well...some may get mad at me for saying this, but silkies aren't known for their smarts...lol - that's why they're cute! Hope your little one thrives!

 

[Garjzla]

Well...some may get mad at me for saying this, but silkies aren't known for their smarts...lol - that's why they're cute! Hope your little one thrives!

Haha, yeah. They defiantly aren't. But I still love them, and they always have those big brown eyes.

I think he will. He's doing pretty well, just easily gets hot. If he can eat and drink, he's good.
Though he's rather clumsy. When he drinks sometimes he accidentally dunks his head in and looks all offended at the water.

But I make sure he's fine when he does that, and he always is.