Sick chick (few days old)-shaking while standing

[rcstanley]

I bought two chicks at the farm store yesterday. When I got home I saw the Wyandotte had pasty butt, so I cleaned it off.

This morning I found my Wyandotte chick laying out flat. Not sure if it got too cold or is sick. I thought it was dead, but I brought it in the house, put it under a desk lamp, and fed it some gator aid in water and it perked up. It now can chirp, but it sways as it sits and seems to have trouble walking and keeping its eyes open.

So, what do you think, do I have a reasonable chance of saving the chick and having a productive hen? If so, what is the next step?

 

[rcstanley]

It died, so I guess the question is moot.

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry for your loss. There may have been nothing else you could have done for the chick. Did you have it in a brooder under a 250 watt heat lamp? Many chicks who are shipped, even ones shipped to feed stores, can suffer from shipping stress, which is usually from dehydration or getting too cold. When getting chicks I usually give them SaveAChick electrolytes for a day or two, and dip their beaks into the water a few rimes, along with tossing chick crumbles around their feet to get used to eating. A stressed chick may start showing symptoms that aren't always apparent right away, but they usually need electrolytes and need to have their beaks dipped until they are drinking well. Pasty butt may not be noticed by store employees, and that can be fatal if not taken care of right away.