sick chick... what should i do for him?

[lothefarmer]

i have a (approx.) five week old silkie chick who isn't feathering out at all. he only has feathers on his wings and a few popping out on his tail. my other silkies of the same age have almost all of their feathers and aren't nearly as small as him so i'm getting a little concerned.

i took a better look at him today, and noticed he's got a little bit of snot coming out of his nose, and i lifted his wings up and saw that his back is bare, as well as his rear end. it's strange because he is very active, alert, he eats and drinks totally fine, gets along with all the others, and his overall appearance doesn't give away any sign of illness... just the snotty nostrils, and the tiny-ness... i feel terrible about letting him get sick, but it really didn't seem that way. he just appeared to be runty to me.

but anyway, i immediately separated him from the rest of my babies, (there are 19 others of various ages and breeds) and now he is in a small box with a heat lamp, medicated feed, and some scrambled egg (which is is gobbling up quite voraciously). i want to know if i should get him some medicine.

i'm hoping he may just be a runt with a cold. they all live outside in a little heated hutch, and have been for weeks. it got rainy out here though, so i'm thinking perhaps he may have gotten wet and he had to way to heat himself up? ugh.. ):

to summarize:
-chick has a runny nose and is bare of feathers in some places, otherwise, totally fine; acting normal.
-what is wrong with him?
-what kind of medicine should i give him, if any?
-and what other care can i give him?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Sure hope someone who has experienced this will answer your post, I've not had runny nose or feather problems. But I think you should isolate this chick from the rest just for percaution.

 

[Judy]

I would guess that "runty" is likely as good a description as any, frankly, if no one else seems ill. The fancy term is "failure to thrive." I doubt any medicine is going to help. You could try boosting nutrition, of course: vitamins and probiotics and a little extra protein, like a bit of scrambled egg, a bite of your hamburger, etc. If you really feel there is a respiratory disease, I'll give you some links to read, but I would guess it's just part of his condition and maybe a little irritation.

It's just one of the sad parts of keeping chickens.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/post.php?tid=422651

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[lothefarmer]

Quote:
okay, thank you. i made some eggs for him earlier, and he gobbled most of it up, so i will definitely keep doing that. and i will get him some yogurt after he wakes up from his little nap.

no one else is experiencing any problems like this, thank goodness. everyone is happy and healthy, and growing rapidly as they should be.

hopefully he will make it. keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[Judy]

I just bought a bottle of infant vitamins in the drug store for about $8. You have to get the kind without iron. You can give him one or two drops, or put a bit more than that in the water and let them all have at it. I have a bunch of hens so put a dropperful in the water for a day. I figure feeds probably skimp on them.

Oh, you separated him, just remembered. I'd be tempted to put him back. Is his nose still runny? If he has something respiratory, they probably all do by now, anyway. I believe that first link has CRD in it; there are those who say essentially all US flocks carry it. Maybe there is a med that would help.

 

[chickenzoo]

It could be an underlining respiratory illness, or if he got chilled and wet it could be phenomena. Tylan 50 inject able would be good for either. At that small you may just want to put a few drops in beak, or 1/4 cc under the skin. Sulmet can help also and you put it in their water.Up the food/ vitamins. It may be too hard on him/her and it may continue to fail to thrive, but I hope it gets better for you though. Glad you separated him, remember to clean hands and cloths before handling any other birds. Best wishes for the little one.

 

[lothefarmer]

Quote:
i do have some sulmet on hand. i will try it, and if it doesnt seem to be helping, i will pick up some tylan.

as for my other birds having it... none of the others have any symptoms, but i will check on them frequently. for now, i'm keeping him inside, though, because now that i know he's bare in some patches, i don't really want him outside in the cold. i won't keep him long, though, i want him to be with his friends.

 

[lothefarmer]

update on the little guy... i have been feeding him eggs and yogurt very often and have medicated feed with him still. i have noticed that he has perked up quite a bit. he's a lot noisier and way more active than he once was (which was fairly active to begin with). his feathers (well, the ones he has) look a lot nicer and preened now. no more nasal discharge. he's actually beginning to feather out a bit. there are a few patched where i see some pin feathers forming around his breast, neck, and thighs. oh, and his tail is getting big and fluffy too. i'm very excited for him.

once it warms up a little bit here (it's been below freezing the past couple of nights.. not typical here, so i'm just gonna wait it out..) i'm going to put him back outside with his friends.

i can tell he's lonely, but i give him loads of attention. when i'm not busy, i let him sit on my shoulder or in my lap, and i scratch his fuzzy little head. i can tell he really enjoys it.

anyway, i think he's recovering quite well.. hooray!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am so happy for you, always glad to see a happy ending to something that doesn't look like it might be. Just be careful when putting him back with his friends that they don't start picking on him.