sick baby chick :-(

[pink lady]

Hi All,

i need HELP!

i have two baby chicks i have been handrasing since the 25/02/17 so almost 3 weeks old as they where getting bigger i bought a rabbit hutch and turned it in to a brooder with a ceramic 60watt bulb yesterday was hot (im in Australia) so i trued it off. But i turned it back on before i went to bed as it was started to cool down. i checked on them at 7am took the cover off the hutch and put their food down. went back to bed. when i got up at 8;30 they weren't up and I freaked out

as their normally are walking around at this time. I had put a new bed in and i think that may be they couldn't get out and where over heated. i picked them up and put they by the water and they both drank like crazy puffen was fine and is running around like normal

but the other one cricket is not well. she drank way to much water (as some of it came back up later on my top!) and was just sitting there life less. I picked her up tuckered her in my top ( I do that often they like to sleep there) and googled the hell out of it

and have been giving little cricket sugared water and have sitting on my chest all day. her poop was runny and a bit green but is more a brown color now she is walking around a little when i put her back in the hutch but is still not eating and just wants to sleep all the time. I don't want to lose her is there anything else i can do for her?

(i've checked for pastty butt and wipe her bottom when she dose poop just in case as its still a little runny)

please any more ideas would help

Thanks Guys

 

[tifanicole]

I don't have any advice. We lost 2 chicks over night, unexpectedly and have one that sounds like yours. My daughter is holding her and giving her electrolytes and she seems to be perking up a bit but I also am new and have no idea.

I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry and I hope your chicks get well

 

[tifanicole]

My daughter just told me that Jelly Bean also threw up the water she had gotten her to drink

 

[pink lady]

I'm happy to report that cricket is doing fine. Watching/had her on my chest all day gave her home-made electrolyte water every half hour put her back in the hutch with her sister to have some food and clean fresh water every hour but she didn't eat any till about 5-8 o'clock last night when she was throwing up water I just made sure she could breeze and with my finger rubbed underneath her chin to her chest so just keep an eye on her while she bringing the water back up as they can choke. It's just like us when we have gastro small sips of water only and every 20 minutes. I just held a very tiny bowl up to crickets face and she would drink it sometimes. If your chick is to weak you can you an eye dropper put again not to much just little bit you don't want to choke or drown them. But kept doing it all day. Good luck and I hope yours pulls through too

Cricket is the sliver one

 

[tifanicole]

Oh, I'm so glad she pulled through. Sadly Jelly Bean passed.

 

[pink lady]

Oh, I'm so glad she pulled through. Sadly Jelly Bean passed.

I'm so sorry to hear about jelly bean

I have losted one before and was absolutely heartbroken

big hugs and kisses

to you

 

[tifanicole]

Thanks!

 

[pink lady]

Heat stroke in baby chicks

brooder to hot!

Just in case anyone ever reads this post in the future!


It's not a proper brooder it's an old rabbit hutch that I've ripped the roof off.(just half the sleeper side still has a roof) they have chick stater and fresh water I don't have much money so i use paper towel. As i read those links and others i googled when i first got them. and the sites said not to use news paper (cricket had spray leg and was taped up) puffen was kept in for company and she was one of the first attempted chick to be put under a broody hen the landlords own. they were away so all 5 chicks where left in my care. (In a cardboard box) They came home and got two more under Blackie i only got one the night before and that little guy had half his face peeked off. but is still alive and all 3 are out with mum and doing great. it was my first time looking after chick for me and the landlords haven't hand raised chicks and we thought we'd do it as they would be friendlier.(after looking after them for 3 days i didn't want to let them go) bit scared Blackie wouldn't take them ether. I change the paper towel every second day and they have water and chick stater in lids with rubber bands over them (so they don't full in) witch I change as needed more now their older (as they poop a lot) and they have a ceramic heat emitter glob witch emits no light but heats great for day & night use safer then the old red lights more energy efficient(.bought from a feed store) I know it looks dirty but that's dirt from the backyard witch i take them out to play everyday so the other chickens get use to them as well. its a small city backyard but bigger then most here these days it's like a mini forest and the chick and chickens a like have free range and love to dig up a storm.

I read on another site that your chicks are the best indicator of whether they are happy or not! - if they are all huddled under the light they are cold. - if they are all spread out around the edge they are too hot. -if they are running around with little happy peep peeps they are happy. ( witch up until yesterday) mine where. which they are back doing today!

Diagnosis = I change their bedding they sleep in a small soft bag as they like to be with me so I sit them in the bag and sneak them back in the hutch before i go to bed. the rabbit hutch is new this week and they have got wise to me sneaking them back so i put some straw in the bag and made a little nest. I had put them in it a few time that day and they jumped out and it was 34c in south Australia that day and I don't have air con in the house where they are. so I turned the heat off. but it had cooled down to 16c and before i went to bed at 12am i turned the heat back on as the next days temps where only 25c. i woke up at 7am took the cover off (witch i always put on as they are in the lounge room and they wont go to sleep if I'm up with the lights and tv on) put there food down and went back to bed (i did look at them and they were asleep witch is normal so didn't think anything of it) But when i got back up and they weren't at their food i freaked. it's lucky I found them when i did and put them buy their water which if it ever happens to anyone else I would just let them have smaller amounts as cricket drank to much and was bringing water back up while she was on my chest. ( which is lucky she was with me and not in a box or she may of chocked. googled heat stroke and there wasn't much for baby chicks but did the water with salt, bicarb soda and sugar. witch i gave to both and had in a tiny dish and held it up to cricket about every 30mins I put them both back in the hutch every hour where there was fresh water and food as puffen was fine but didn't want to leave his sister (they are glued at the hip) and have done that most of the night till about 1am this morning. I stopped the sugar water at about 8pm and just stuck with fresh as puffens poops where starting to go runny.

But I'm happy to report that both are running around their hutch eating and drinking normally change paper towel this morning and put no drit in it so I can keep an eye on their poop which is still a little soft but much much more like normal.eYEAH!

Thank you all and i look forward to much more happier post

Water: mix tea spoon

of salt and bicarb soda plus a table spoon

Sugar I used raw sugar but after read brown is better. Mixed it with 1l litre of boiling water mix until dissolved. When mixed half in there water bowl half this mix half fresh water. Feed this water with a teaspoon or small dish if really weak eye dropper WARNING

you can choke or drown baby chicks so very small amounts and watch for nostril holes and gagging actions!

Remind : SUGAR can give chickens and baby chicks diarrhoea so not too much if you have electrolyte water vitamins this is better but if you come across this problem and you can't leave the house and needed quick fix right then and there this water works great

Symptoms: cricket wouldn't walk was very sluggish and sleepy and when sitting in my hand would put her head down and have her eyes closed! I placed her buy the water where she would have a little sip and full asleep put her head down eyes closed again and was very weak no chipping or peeping sounds at all.

I hope that in the future this can help somebody else in this situation.

Thank you

 

[ChxLadyCass]

I'm happy to report that cricket is doing fine. Watching/had her on my chest all day gave her home-made electrolyte water every half hour put her back in the hutch with her sister to have some food and clean fresh water every hour but she didn't eat any till about 5-8 o'clock last night when she was throwing up water I just made sure she could breeze and with my finger rubbed underneath her chin to her chest so just keep an eye on her while she bringing the water back up as they can choke. It's just like us when we have gastro small sips of water only and every 20 minutes. I just held a very tiny bowl up to crickets face and she would drink it sometimes. If your chick is to weak you can you an eye dropper put again not to much just little bit you don't want to choke or drown them. But kept doing it all day. Good luck and I hope yours pulls through too

Cricket is the sliver one

Wow that's amazing she pulled through! May I ask what your electrolyte recipe was? (Nevermind I see it now!!) I get my chicks today and want to have as much prepared as I can!! What a great chick parent you are!

 

[pink lady]

ChxLadyCass I know right! I thought she was a goner for sure but she's doing fine now took them both out in the garden too day nice sunny 29c day here and their both having dust baths and rolling around in the sunshine