Sick chick - not sure what is wrong, any ideas? Please help :(

[soler]

I have had the chicks for a week now, and last night one of the lavender orpingtons was just standing there, with eyes closed and not moving. Wouldn't eat or drink. The eyes, beak etc are all clear of any discharge and are not swollen. The butt was clean, but later on i notice a whitish and very sticky dropping.

Everyone else is looking happy and normal, so I isolated the chick in case it's infectious, and tried to give it some water with life-lytes by putting drops on its beak, it drank them, but then basically gurgled some back up, so i left it be. This morning it's still alive but just lying down looking close to death. keeps its eyes closed. More sticky dropping on his bottom (which i cleaned off), slightly greenish (maybe from the life-lytes?)

details of what i am doing:
I am raising my first batch of 12 mixed breed chicks, feeding them medicated starter, i am keeping them in a 3x1.5 feet cardboard box where i am changing the pine shavings every other day (plus daily spot cleaning), changing the water several times a day (they keep kicking the shavings in the waterer + poop); i am putting some life-lytes in the water, and am also supplementing the feed with some kelp (http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/chickens/Cluckn-Sea-Kelp-p914.aspx)
They have a heat lamp.
In the last few days i noticed the cardboard box got damp because they kick the pine shavings out of the waterer. maybe that's what did it?

i actually ordered a raised brooder because i hate the pine shavings, i should have it today, but it's too late for that poor chick.

any ideas would be welcome. i don't know what it could be. I read that when they have cocci, they still drink, but it has stopped both, and it was fine yesterday morning.

 

[seminolewind]

Sometimes a chick gets sick and dies, and we never know why. It's sad when you can't help them out. If all the others are active and healthy, I would have to say that it's not your care. Sorry about your chick!

 

[soler]

so i should do nothing and just let him die? i gave it some more life-lytes, and it's almost like it's stuck and can't go through it. It's just sort of breathing a bit harder now, and raising its head a bit trying to breath better. Poor thing. It's in a separate box.

 

[soler]

OK. So it didn't eat all day friday and was just lying down expelling small bits of sticky diarrhea, i made it drink life-lytes water, which he would also regurgitate, then we were supposed to put it down friday night, but i couldn't do it, and decided to bring it back to the breeder that sold us the chick (by the way it's the top chick on my icon) so he could do it for me.

i took another look at it saturday and cleaned his butt again, it was so light, then i put it back in and try to coax it to eat yet again. it pecked! i was shocked. So long story short, it's been eating more since yesterday, the poops are back to normal and it's gaining a bit of weight back.

BUT it's still shaking its head from side to side and sometimes stretching its neck trying to yawn. So i think it's still sick, but what could it be?

does it sound familiar? i put some vetrx under the wing and on the nostrils thinking it couldn't hurt. I don't think it's tapeworm, as it's only eaten medicated starter and i have no experience with other diseases given it's my first chick.

any help would be very appreciated.

 

[leadwolf1]

I think what you are seeing is normal chick behavior. It is rearranging the food in its crop. They are too young for any kind of worm...I think it will be fine, just keep an eye out for diarrhea and eating and drinking!

 

[soler]

i definitely will. I am going to keep it isolated a full week before re-introducing it to the rest. He literally just lied without moving with its eyes closed for two days, making very sticky white droppings, then stringy dark ones. Even the guy i bought them from said we were going to lose it. I almost feel like it had something stuck in it. Not sure. It's my first batch of chicks.

thanks a lot for the response!

 

[seminolewind]

I think you need to relax and enjoy your chicks. I've just had 2 batches, and there always a few that seemed lighter, but turned into piggies, LOL.
Your one chick died, and I doubt there was anything you could have done.
The stretching you see, well alot of my birds do it, hens, and chicks, and it's usually because they see me and think food. I think of it as a reflex they had a thousand years ago when mom used to feed them. Chickens don't feed young anymore, but I think that behavior is a remnant of that.

Good luck!

 

[soler]

Hi, the chick actually survived, and seems fully recovered! I have no idea what happened though. She just basically stopped eating and drinking for two days, not moving, very sticky droppings, eyes closed, and on the third day when i was going to put her down she started eating again.