PATIENT: 10 week old pampered and super-sweet Silkie chick that was otherwise completely healthy at dusk last night when we make sure everyone is in the coop and ready for sleep at 9pm EST.
8AM THIS MORNING: the chick was on the floor of the coop (coop is cleaned each week and new pine shavings put on all floor surfaces), unable to move normally with its head and neck craned downward and trying to move around, but flailing badly and flopping around. We removed the chick, which lives in this side of the coop with one other 10 week old Silkie (her sister), and brought her inside to better assess the situation. She was hungry and thirsty, but was able to eat a significant number of live mealworms (maybe 40), and was able to get water down with a dropper.
WHAT WE BELIEVE IS THE CULPRIT: a Manna Pro "Chick Stick" treat (NOT Manna Pro's fault to be clear on that point) that was left over from the hatch we had months ago, but was stored exposed to the air in the garage for several months. We hung it in the coop the night before last without thinking about its condition or the possibility of mold on it. We've had significant rain in our area for the last 2 months, and think the stick got contaminated and molded in the garage. Closer inspection of the stick this morning revealed that it did have some mold/fungus on it. Some of the stick was consumed by this chick for sure since we saw her eating some of it. So, we think we're dealing with some sort of mold or fungus reaction that has her in such poor shape today.
TREATMENTS so far: with experience with wry neck and star-gazing, we gave her about a pea-sized dose of Vitamin E with more live mealworms, and mixed up a batch of Sav-A-Chic Probiotic and Electrolytes, and she eagerly takes all we'll give her of the worms and the water.
12:00PM (noon): While holding her in one hand, she continues to eat live mealworms out of our hands, even able to hold her head up and eat on her own briefly, but requires us to give her water via a dropper. We have her inside in a pet bed with her head propped up so she can rest and sleep because we're not sure when she left the roost bar and dropped to the floor last night. She seems very tired today!
It's worth noting that she's been sleeping on and off for about four hours now, and she's lively and responsive when we approach her, but still struggling with getting her head upright.
So, what do you fine folks think we can do more to help this sweet little chick out? What can we do to improve her condition? What do you think her prognosis might be? We've read about Nutri-Drench, but have never treated with it. We've read about molasses flush, but are not sure that's the right course of action. What do you think? Thank you!!!
8AM THIS MORNING: the chick was on the floor of the coop (coop is cleaned each week and new pine shavings put on all floor surfaces), unable to move normally with its head and neck craned downward and trying to move around, but flailing badly and flopping around. We removed the chick, which lives in this side of the coop with one other 10 week old Silkie (her sister), and brought her inside to better assess the situation. She was hungry and thirsty, but was able to eat a significant number of live mealworms (maybe 40), and was able to get water down with a dropper.
WHAT WE BELIEVE IS THE CULPRIT: a Manna Pro "Chick Stick" treat (NOT Manna Pro's fault to be clear on that point) that was left over from the hatch we had months ago, but was stored exposed to the air in the garage for several months. We hung it in the coop the night before last without thinking about its condition or the possibility of mold on it. We've had significant rain in our area for the last 2 months, and think the stick got contaminated and molded in the garage. Closer inspection of the stick this morning revealed that it did have some mold/fungus on it. Some of the stick was consumed by this chick for sure since we saw her eating some of it. So, we think we're dealing with some sort of mold or fungus reaction that has her in such poor shape today.
TREATMENTS so far: with experience with wry neck and star-gazing, we gave her about a pea-sized dose of Vitamin E with more live mealworms, and mixed up a batch of Sav-A-Chic Probiotic and Electrolytes, and she eagerly takes all we'll give her of the worms and the water.
12:00PM (noon): While holding her in one hand, she continues to eat live mealworms out of our hands, even able to hold her head up and eat on her own briefly, but requires us to give her water via a dropper. We have her inside in a pet bed with her head propped up so she can rest and sleep because we're not sure when she left the roost bar and dropped to the floor last night. She seems very tired today!
It's worth noting that she's been sleeping on and off for about four hours now, and she's lively and responsive when we approach her, but still struggling with getting her head upright.
So, what do you fine folks think we can do more to help this sweet little chick out? What can we do to improve her condition? What do you think her prognosis might be? We've read about Nutri-Drench, but have never treated with it. We've read about molasses flush, but are not sure that's the right course of action. What do you think? Thank you!!!
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