sick chick..help!!!

[LALADY1101]

I got 5 buff orphingtons one week ago yesterday. They were about 3 days old when I got them. A few days ago, I noticed that one of the girls was kind of gasping/panting when she breathed. I wasn't too concerned at first, I just figured she was hot and would move away from the light. Last night I noticed that she was moving a little slower than the rest of the girls. This morning, she was kind of laying on her side and when I stood her up she wobbled and fell over. Now another one is starting to show the same symptoms. I gave them some vitamins and they seemed to perk up a little for a little while, but now the worst one of the two is doing the same thing again. Any idea what's wrong and what should I do???

 

[CMV]

I would be contacting the seller to see if there is any chance they may be ill. I'd check for bugs because it's easy to do and always a possibility. I'd continue with the vitamins and maybe give some sugar water to the ailing chicks. I'd check their vents to make sure they are able to poop okay (pasty butt is very dangerous to young chicks). Then I'd keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. There's not much else you can do other than those things. Chicks sometimes are unthrifty and just don't make it. It could be a defect that has taken a few days to show up or a genetic problem. Not much you can do about those.

I hope they make it. Good luck.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

First off we need some info. What is the temp inside your brooder? You should have a thermometer place on the floor directly under the heat lamp. Temp should be around 85-90 degrees for week olds. What kind of bedding are you using? Pine shavings are best. Did you dip the beaks of the chicks in the water when you got them? Was the affected chick drinking/eating? Any pasty butts? As CMV stated put some sugar, I believe it is one TBL per gal of water, someone please correct me if I am wrong, make sure you redip their beaks in the water. I would put some paper towel back down over their bedding to make sure they are not eating the bedding. If you are following the temps, water and feed closely, sometimes that is all you can do. Good Luck,