Sickly chick, need help!

[troxycat]

My baby Ameraucana isn't doing so well - she's got a bald patch on the back of her neck, she's much scrawnier than the other chicks the same age, and her feathers aren't coming in very well. She also spends a lot of her time standing with her eyes closed and making "sleepy noises" - another odd thing I noticed from the time I got her is that whenever I picked her up, her little legs would shake so violently they were almost a blur! Up until the last couple days her appetite has been good, her crop seems fine (no lumps or anything), and I haven't seen any sign of lice or mites. I'm hoping someone will have some idea of any supplements or anything that I might be able to give her that might perk her up. I've been lucky enough to have not had a single death so far, and I'd love to keep it that way!


*I was going to include pics, but it's not letting me since I'm a brand new member...*

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Are you feeding medicated chick starter? She could have coccidiosis. I would certainly get some antibiotics in her asap. Personally I would use sulmet.

 

[Judy]

If she's in a brooder in the house, there would be no source for cocci. Cocci is a protozoa found in soil. If you are brooding them on soil, it is possible, though I expect you would see symptoms in more than two. If they came from a hatchery, I expect the most likely thing is an internal problem of some sort. Sorry you are having to deal with this.

 

[troxycat]

Yeah she's on medicated chick food, and she is inside in a nice big warm brooder...wish I knew what was wrong with the little monkey.

 

[kelar]

ddawn - there are huge numbers of people (myself included) who can attest to the fact that chicks can get cocci without ever being exposed to soil. It's not clear how the exposure occurs, but I've had many batches of chicks get cocci in spite of the fact they went from hatcher to brooder, with everything being extremely well sterilized. So please don't rule it out if you have chicks showing symptoms.