- Oct 8, 2010
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- 388
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RedMini,
It sounds like you are taking really good measures to ensure this chick makes it.. Keeping the cage and the water clean and fresh are both REALLY important. I can't stress this enough. You didn't mention it, and maybe in your case this is not possible, but if you can wipe down the sides of the brooder with a Lysol wipe (they come in plastic 'can's with about 150 wipes each) this too could help keep things clean for your chicks and it helps keep the possibility of disease from spreading. I'd do this every day if I could. I also would give them new water almost twice daily. This is really important if the ailment is respiratory and contagious... then again, full separation of a chick from the others is best, though I always feel that chicks need company to have will power to survive too. Its a hard call.
To me, it sounds like your little chick is most definitely ill with something and that its little body is trying very hard to overcome it. This could be why it is not growing at the same speed. All its energy is being expended into keeping it alive, while the others are just speeding along at normal pace. From what you state here, it seems like its on the winning side of making it through, though as you have done, you need to be vigilant about watching things.
It sounds like it could be a respiratory ailment from what you write here. You said that the droppings were ok, so that would rule out quite a bit of other internal problems. OR It could be that this one was just not put together properly inside and it could perish... these things just happen you know, but from what you wrote it sounds like a respiratory ailment to me. (I'm not expert, so please don't hold me accountable. I'm just sharing my opinion from someone who's dealt with chickens for about 4 years now.)
With some chicks who are ill, all they need is some extra cleanliness and time to get over what they've got. With others, you need to intervene. If they stop eating entirely or are sleeping all the time, and I mean ALL the time and aren't phased by other chicks bumping into it, then you know you've got a very ill chick that needs attention right away. Do you have any antibiotics at hand? Do you have a feed store or a tractor supply near you to pick some up? They should have something there that could help with the respiratory ailment. Usually someone there knows- ask one of hte clerks and they might be able to help you choose the right own.
OH and also make sure the chicks aren't getting chilled. I've come to find out that is something that can bring on chick illness. I think its better they are warmer rather than cooler when they are this young.
I can't remember the name of the antibiotic that is used for respiratory ailments in chickens, but if you do a search here you probably can find the name. You dissolve a couple teaspoons or so in a gallon of water and then use that as the chicken's water. When I had a sick chick I only treated that one chick with a few drops of the medicine water once every two hours for about a half a day. She recovered within 24 hours of her first dose and she is fine now. Of course, this was a different ailment than yours, but I bet it would work the same for your chick.
I hope this helps! Please do look into getting the antibiotic!
It sounds like you are taking really good measures to ensure this chick makes it.. Keeping the cage and the water clean and fresh are both REALLY important. I can't stress this enough. You didn't mention it, and maybe in your case this is not possible, but if you can wipe down the sides of the brooder with a Lysol wipe (they come in plastic 'can's with about 150 wipes each) this too could help keep things clean for your chicks and it helps keep the possibility of disease from spreading. I'd do this every day if I could. I also would give them new water almost twice daily. This is really important if the ailment is respiratory and contagious... then again, full separation of a chick from the others is best, though I always feel that chicks need company to have will power to survive too. Its a hard call.
To me, it sounds like your little chick is most definitely ill with something and that its little body is trying very hard to overcome it. This could be why it is not growing at the same speed. All its energy is being expended into keeping it alive, while the others are just speeding along at normal pace. From what you state here, it seems like its on the winning side of making it through, though as you have done, you need to be vigilant about watching things.
It sounds like it could be a respiratory ailment from what you write here. You said that the droppings were ok, so that would rule out quite a bit of other internal problems. OR It could be that this one was just not put together properly inside and it could perish... these things just happen you know, but from what you wrote it sounds like a respiratory ailment to me. (I'm not expert, so please don't hold me accountable. I'm just sharing my opinion from someone who's dealt with chickens for about 4 years now.)
With some chicks who are ill, all they need is some extra cleanliness and time to get over what they've got. With others, you need to intervene. If they stop eating entirely or are sleeping all the time, and I mean ALL the time and aren't phased by other chicks bumping into it, then you know you've got a very ill chick that needs attention right away. Do you have any antibiotics at hand? Do you have a feed store or a tractor supply near you to pick some up? They should have something there that could help with the respiratory ailment. Usually someone there knows- ask one of hte clerks and they might be able to help you choose the right own.
OH and also make sure the chicks aren't getting chilled. I've come to find out that is something that can bring on chick illness. I think its better they are warmer rather than cooler when they are this young.
I can't remember the name of the antibiotic that is used for respiratory ailments in chickens, but if you do a search here you probably can find the name. You dissolve a couple teaspoons or so in a gallon of water and then use that as the chicken's water. When I had a sick chick I only treated that one chick with a few drops of the medicine water once every two hours for about a half a day. She recovered within 24 hours of her first dose and she is fine now. Of course, this was a different ailment than yours, but I bet it would work the same for your chick.
I hope this helps! Please do look into getting the antibiotic!
