Sick chick

[CowgirlPenny]

Pretty sure I have my first sick chick. I have waited months for a Silkie. Get one today (after loosing three older ones last night, see last post) I got more Ameracuanas today to replace those lost, and they had this one lonesome Silkie. It was running away from me in the brooder at the feed store, acting fine. Got it home (about 20mins later) and it was acting weak. So I left it in the box and removed all the Ameracuans (who seem fine) I turned the box into a little hospital for it. I made it drink some water with sugar in it and it took a sip everytime I made it but as soon as I stop moving it/messing with it...it closes it's eyes and goes back to sleep. When I would leave the room it would stand tall and peep loudly at the other chicks but when I would come back it would settle back down again and go to sleep. No blood in it's poop (but I don't think it's eaten any food)

So...symptoms are:


Lethargic. Sleeps all the time, in the same spot without really moving

Sleeps in a tight ball with head down, but perks up when it sees me

peeps loudly (maybe at the other chicks it's separated from)

Doesn't seem to want to walk around but can stand. Sat it down on a table and it walked around for a minute but not far.

Normal poop, no blood and not even really 'runny'

Does not seem to startle at noises, my hand or anything that the other chicks freak out about.

 

[CowgirlPenny]

Chick is still sleeping on my desk under the lamp, in a towel. Sleeping with it's beak buried in it's right wing. Any ideas? Has no problem with me touching it's beak, face,etc. I just don't feel like he/she will make it.

 

[earnhardtlvr]

i had a sick 5 week old brahma the other day. i brought her upstairs in her own little box and would take her out about every hour to let her eat and drink. put sav-a-chick in her water and some of that water in her crumbles. by day 3 she had perked back up (still small/runt of the bunch) but was able to eat and drik and function with 28 other peeps again. I say try to get her to drink and make her crumbles wet and make her a box by herself and ust pamper her for a few days. Good luck!

 

[CowgirlPenny]

Whenever I mess with it, it shakes it's head left and right then buries it back in it's wing. So worried. I'm doctoring it, but it just seems weak.

 

[Celtic Chick]

What kind of feed do you have for her? Do you have Sav-A-Chik or some other vitamin/electrolyte solution you could add to her water? About how old is she?
She might just be exhausted from the stress of being chased in the brooder & having a change in environment. Keep her warm, make sure she is drinking her water, and make a slurry or paste of her chick feed & some warm water & try to get her to eat it. If she won't eat on her own in a little while, make it watery enough for her to drink it. She needs nourishment to get stronger, but just feed her her chick food, no treats. The feed has everything in it a chick needs.
Good luck & keep us posted.

 

[CowgirlPenny]

I'm so bad at guessing age, but she is small. Smaller than my 1.5wk old d'Uccles. Has some wing feathers, I would say she is approaching a week old. We have regular medicated starter (whatever that tan bag is at TSC) I do not have any sav-a-chick, but I did get her (I say her loosely) to drink some sugar water earlier. She was in a brooder with probably 50 Ameracuana chicks who are twice her size at the feed store. I'm hoping that maybe she was just small and was always running from someone, not able to eat as much as the big guys,etc. and she's just really tired now from living there. I hope! I have waited so long for a silkie. I saw the mama there in the store and she was gorgeous.

When I dip it's beak it will drink but then falls right back asleep. It sat on my desk in a baby towel under the lamp for almost two hours sleeping without waking. TV on, my typing, talking,etc and it never startled or woke once. I returned it to it's hospital after a while for a drink, it drank and even ate a little food but then fell back asleep in the food bowl moments later.

Bless it's heart. I hope it's better in the morning.

 

[earnhardtlvr]

That is exactly how my little one was. She slept a good part of the 3 days I had here upstaire. Mine really started to get better when I gave her the save-a-chick. I would strongly recommend getting some if u can. I used the save-a-chick water to soften her crumbles up and then she started eating. I took her out about every hour or two and let her eat and then go back to sleep. I hope this helps. Keep us posted.