sick chick

[srfjeld]

One of my 7 week old chicks is acting weird tonight. They are still in the brooder b/c the coop is not quite finished yet. I went to check on them and they were all full of energy except for her. She was fine yesterday, wide eyed and all. I went to pick her up and she didn't quite grip my hands the way she usually does and fell backward back into the bedding... not far, but it was weird. I finally got her and noticed that she wasn't holding her wings at her sides like she normally does. I held each wing out and they "seem" okay. I held her in my lap and she fell asleep quickly. I put them all back in the brooder, including her b/c I have no way of separating them tonight. I just checked on her and she looked up at me, but still isn't wide eyed.

I hate feeling helpless but if she makes it through the night I plan on heading to the feed store for some vitamins or something... suggestions? I'm new to this chicken thing and at times I regret ever getting them. I get too attached to animals and it's stressful not being able to help them.

Thank you

 

[srfjeld]

anyone???

 

[srfjeld]

I just took her outside and it she didn't peck at anything... this girl loves to peck! She just stood there. I'm wondering if she broke/sprained her wing? She doesn't seem to have any balance.

 

[srfjeld]

I just took her to a vet, whom I was told took chickens, but the doctor came into the room and said, "I don't know why someone told you to bring a chicken to me." Great way to start... anyway. I went to the feed store and got some electrolytes. I put it in the water for all the chicks. Emmylou (sick girl) isn't eating or drinking. I got the vet to at least examine her wing. He "feels" she's had a trauma of some sort... soft tissue, and this is why she's not holding it up, doesn't have much balance, is listless, and isn't eat or drinking. He said it's not broken and didn't see any signs of bruising or peck marks. So, I've decide to isolate her... let me tell you, she was in heaven in the little box/home I created for her... cushy towel... she looked so peaceful laying there, knowing she could rest without fear of being trampled on by one of the other crazy girls. I will set up a dog crate for her later but for now, I've equipped this little office box with bedding and a bowl of water (with electrolytes) and food. She's still not eating or drinking and her crop is empty. But then, I don't want to eat when I'm in pain either. I'm hoping she'll get an appetite back after a day of rest. How long can chicks go without food and water?

 

[Erica]

Hi srfjeld,
I'm sorry about your useless vet.
At seven weeks it could be coccidiosis, but by the time a bird is falling over it's pretty severe.
The only other possibilities I can think of are pretty nasty (not that cocci isn't) but it's probably best to treat for cocci and see what happens.
Get some anti-coccidiosis medication from your feed store and use it as soon as possible. Follow directions on the label. If the bird doesn't improve then you'll know there's something else wrong.

It's best not to give vitamins along with some of the cocci medications so back off on that for a while.

Chicks can't go too long without food, in a few days they'll be greatly weakened. To top it off coccidiosis can kill very quickly. However you would know within a couple of days whether she's responding as her appetite should return quickly. It may be wise to treat all the birds at once because it's rare that it only shows up in one.

hope you get somewhere,
Erica

 

[srfjeld]

It's been 3 days since I've seen her eat anything, yet she still hangs on... she's nothing but a skeleton with feathers. I've been hand feeding her water with Sulmet through a syringe. Keep expecting to find that she's passed in the night but every morning she's still breathing. Some might think this is dumb, but I'm breaking down and taking her into the avian medical ctr. They'll examine her and either decide to feed her or euthanize her. I'm probably not a great chicken owner b/c I just can't cull her myself... especially if there's still a fighting chance left in her. Plus, as this is my first sick chick, I'll want to know what to do if, God forbid, any of my other girls start to show these symptoms.

 

[nickie]

first things first... is she pooping? what does it look like? I know if she hasn't eaten its unlikely that she is pooping, but if she is you need to check the color, consistancy, is it bloody, is she constipated? She cant tell you, but poop can give you clues. No joke google chicken poop and you will get some gross pics, but you will also get the roadmap of normal and sick.

Oh, and not to disrespect your vet but, listlessness, and wing drooping are usually a sign of illness.

 

[srfjeld]

Well, sweet Emmylou didn't make it. They fed her by a tube and hydrated her. They said she started to perk up, got up and walked around but then had a small seizure and that was it. I knew it was a possibility and to be honest, I'm just glad she's no longer suffering.

Now for the really bad part. I went out to lunch with a friend and later she said she needed to go get some fertilizer and soil... well, you see, they had these chickens there. Six week old Barnvelders and Welsummers. What could I do? I was down a chicken. And everyone knows you can't just get ONE new chick and introduce it to an established flock. So... I now have 2 new girls. As was to be expected, the oldest two (about 9 weeks) were pecking at them, one was down right biting them. So, I have them in a separate dog crate from the other girls' brooder and when I put them in the run tomorrow (the coop is almost finished) I will keep them separate in there as well. Wish us luck! Am I crazy???

 

[hmmcc123]

I just read this thread. Sorry about your chicken. : (

I would have done the same thing (getting new ones to replace the one you lost.) You are not crazy! I would however keep them separate to start out. Keep them where they can see each other though. If you free range them, let them free range together during the day but make sure and keep them separated otherwise. They will eventually warm up to each other. There will be pecking too as they all re-establish pecking order although at 9 and 6 weeks I am not sure how much "pecking order" is actually going on. They may just be pecking them to say "hey, we don't know you"! ; ) I have also read that when you introduce them to the roost with the others, do it at night when it is dark. I guess because they are more sleepy than aggressive at that time and no food is around.

Good luck with your new babies!