Silkie chick continuous stress call

[Just Rosie]

I am not an expert, am only on my 4th brood, but the statement that she seemed to be okay until day 3 makes me suspect that it's a problem with eating/digesting.

Don't chicks survive on yolk until day 3?

Experts?
@Wyorp Rock

This is my thought process as well. She is able to swallow the food and her crop fills. She also is defecating, so the food is definitely able to move through her GI tract. However, I believe that her body is not absorbing the nutrients for one reason or another. There are a lot of potential causes. Parasites, organ failure, etc.

There is also the potential that she is just straight up not recieving enough nutrition. Chicks almost constantly eat, when they are not drinking or playing or sleeping. Its an all day process. As of right now, I am only able to get a few milliliters of volume in her in a day, and roughly half of that is water. She is not eating outside of what I am able to syringe her. Part of the problem with that process is that I have to wait for the crop to empty, otherwise I risk regurgitation and subsequent aspiration. One way to get around this is to tube feed her, which I may be able to do once I return to work. That comes with its own slew of pros and cons.

So it is also possible that she is just not receiving enough. I have an updated plan that I'm going to outline in a separate update post.

 

[Just Rosie]

Update:



I previously had the chick in a brooder with 2 other chicks, feeder and waterer, and a heat lamp between feedings. I figured this way she would have access to food and water, and would be less lonely with 2 friends.



Last night, however, I discovered her on her back in the waterer, still cheeping. I quickly scooped her up and brought her upstairs to dry her off. Her crop was full of water at that time, which I'm assuming is because she was swallowing water while fighting to get out of the waterer.



I decided that since she doesn't seem to be eating and drinking on her own, and she no longer seems to care about flock mates, she was going to come up stairs in a slightly more controlled environment.



Currently she is in a small box with a heating pad. I know its not ideal, but she seems to be warm enough and can move to a slightly cooler area in the box if need be. The box is in my bedroom.



She did ok last night, it seemed like she was able to sleep, as the peeping quieted down pretty much the entire night, except if I tossed or turned, which would wake her up momentarily.



I weighed her this morning, and unfortunately through the night she managed to drop 2 grams. This is a devastating blow. That is roughly 13% of her body weight. To give a relatable example, that is the equivalent of losing 19lb in someone who weighs 150lb. Overnight.



I am starting to think this is a failure to thrive situation, and her body, for whatever reason, cannot absorb the nutrients she needs to grow. I am also concerned that I am not feeding her enough, or frequently enough. (Yesterday I was able to feed roughly every 3 hours.) I have only been able to get about 1ml volume at a time, and I have been splitting that evenly between raw egg yolk/chicken baby food and water. If I give her much more than that, she starts to regurgitate, which is an aspiration risk.



Overall, she is quieter. She still cheeps in a distressed way, but it is much quieter than before, and she has periods of rest. I'm not quite sure if this is a good or a bad thing, but I'm leaning towards thinking she is too weak to constantly cheep.



She can still stand, but is extremely weak and prefers to be sitting most of the time.



I made a couple of decisions this morning.



The first is that I'm going to continue trying to keep her alive. I decided that if this chick has made it this far, she *is* fighting to live. I have seen plenty of chick deaths in my life, and it is always pretty aparent when there is no hope. I'm not saying this is very hopeful, but it is also not obvious that this chick has given up. She still cries, she hasn't aspirated yet (that I can tell), and every time I go to get her, half expecting her to have finally succumbed, she is still there, fighting. Hell, I literally found her face-up in the waterer, for who knows how long, and she was still fighting. I was having a moral dilemma last night, but I have decided that if she continues to fight, I will continue to do everything I can. The moment she stops being able to swallow, that is when I will know.



The next thing I have decided is that I'm going to focus on giving her food rather than fluids. I have a minute amount of volume to work with. Her little crop can only contain so much fluid, and since she is not growing, neither is her crop. She is currently receiving 1:1 ratio of raw egg yolk:chicken baby food. My logic is that newly hatched chicks are able to survive off their yolk alone for the first 3 days, so I am thinking/hoping she is receiving hydration from the yolk. I am still offering her water, just not nearly as much as I previously was. When I return to work, I will also have access to fluids, which I can administer to her subcutaneously.



The next decision is that I will have to commit to multiple daily feedings, which means she will have to come to work with me. I work at an animal hospital, so it is not an issue to bring her. I was more concerned with how loud and frequently she was cheeping, that she would be seen as a nuisance, but she has calmed down. Now that it is just her (rather than her and 2 other flockmates), I am less worried about bringing her in to work. I will also then have access to veterinarians (albeit ones who do not practice on poultry) and medications, as well as other treatments (IV/subcutaneous fluids, tons of different nutrient-dense foods, etc) that I don't have access to here at home. I am off today and tomorrow, and if I'm being honest, I'm not confident she will make it to Friday, but if she does, she will be coming with me. What i need to figure out is how to transport her while keeping her warm. I have about an hour commute. I do have seat warmers but they are not very strong. I'm thinking I will have to either invest in some hot hands or one of those car charger-to-AC adapters to plug the heating pad into.



The last decision I have made is that if she passes, I will be ordering a necropsy on her. I don't honestly have the money for her to see a poultry vet, and there is not one close by (1hr+ drive). I also don't think a poultry vet will change her prognosis. I *would* like to know what has caused this stunted growth. I know there is a chance even with necropsy that I will not get a definitive answer. But I feel there is a chance we could get an explanation for her symptoms. Necropsies are not cheap, but if I do it through my work, I can make payments. I am also hoping UGA will give me a discount since I do work for an animal hospital, but that is wishful thinking.



I'm going to continue to provide daily updates so that I have a way to log her "progress". Anyone reading is welcome to ask or advise as they see fit.



I want to be clear that I am relatively confident this story does not have a happy ending. The odds are unequivocally against her. But if she will continue to try, so will I.



Here is her updated weight chart:

4/14/24 - 18.4g

4/15/24 AM - 17.9g

4/15/24 PM - 16.6g

4/16/24 AM (pre feeding) - 16.1g

4/16 2p pre feed - 16.4g

4/16 2p post feed - 17.4g

4/16 5p pre feed - 16.7g

4/16 5p post feed - 17.5g

4/17 9a pre feed - 14.8g

4/17 9a post feed (big feed) - 16.5g

 

[fuzzi]

Update:



I previously had the chick in a brooder with 2 other chicks, feeder and waterer, and a heat lamp between feedings. I figured this way she would have access to food and water, and would be less lonely with 2 friends.



Last night, however, I discovered her on her back in the waterer, still cheeping. I quickly scooped her up and brought her upstairs to dry her off. Her crop was full of water at that time, which I'm assuming is because she was swallowing water while fighting to get out of the waterer.



I decided that since she doesn't seem to be eating and drinking on her own, and she no longer seems to care about flock mates, she was going to come up stairs in a slightly more controlled environment.



Currently she is in a small box with a heating pad. I know its not ideal, but she seems to be warm enough and can move to a slightly cooler area in the box if need be. The box is in my bedroom.



She did ok last night, it seemed like she was able to sleep, as the peeping quieted down pretty much the entire night, except if I tossed or turned, which would wake her up momentarily.



I weighed her this morning, and unfortunately through the night she managed to drop 2 grams. This is a devastating blow. That is roughly 13% of her body weight. To give a relatable example, that is the equivalent of losing 19lb in someone who weighs 150lb. Overnight.



I am starting to think this is a failure to thrive situation, and her body, for whatever reason, cannot absorb the nutrients she needs to grow. I am also concerned that I am not feeding her enough, or frequently enough. (Yesterday I was able to feed roughly every 3 hours.) I have only been able to get about 1ml volume at a time, and I have been splitting that evenly between raw egg yolk/chicken baby food and water. If I give her much more than that, she starts to regurgitate, which is an aspiration risk.



Overall, she is quieter. She still cheeps in a distressed way, but it is much quieter than before, and she has periods of rest. I'm not quite sure if this is a good or a bad thing, but I'm leaning towards thinking she is too weak to constantly cheep.



She can still stand, but is extremely weak and prefers to be sitting most of the time.



I made a couple of decisions this morning.



The first is that I'm going to continue trying to keep her alive. I decided that if this chick has made it this far, she *is* fighting to live. I have seen plenty of chick deaths in my life, and it is always pretty aparent when there is no hope. I'm not saying this is very hopeful, but it is also not obvious that this chick has given up. She still cries, she hasn't aspirated yet (that I can tell), and every time I go to get her, half expecting her to have finally succumbed, she is still there, fighting. Hell, I literally found her face-up in the waterer, for who knows how long, and she was still fighting. I was having a moral dilemma last night, but I have decided that if she continues to fight, I will continue to do everything I can. The moment she stops being able to swallow, that is when I will know.



The next thing I have decided is that I'm going to focus on giving her food rather than fluids. I have a minute amount of volume to work with. Her little crop can only contain so much fluid, and since she is not growing, neither is her crop. She is currently receiving 1:1 ratio of raw egg yolk:chicken baby food. My logic is that newly hatched chicks are able to survive off their yolk alone for the first 3 days, so I am thinking/hoping she is receiving hydration from the yolk. I am still offering her water, just not nearly as much as I previously was. When I return to work, I will also have access to fluids, which I can administer to her subcutaneously.



The next decision is that I will have to commit to multiple daily feedings, which means she will have to come to work with me. I work at an animal hospital, so it is not an issue to bring her. I was more concerned with how loud and frequently she was cheeping, that she would be seen as a nuisance, but she has calmed down. Now that it is just her (rather than her and 2 other flockmates), I am less worried about bringing her in to work. I will also then have access to veterinarians (albeit ones who do not practice on poultry) and medications, as well as other treatments (IV/subcutaneous fluids, tons of different nutrient-dense foods, etc) that I don't have access to here at home. I am off today and tomorrow, and if I'm being honest, I'm not confident she will make it to Friday, but if she does, she will be coming with me. What i need to figure out is how to transport her while keeping her warm. I have about an hour commute. I do have seat warmers but they are not very strong. I'm thinking I will have to either invest in some hot hands or one of those car charger-to-AC adapters to plug the heating pad into.



The last decision I have made is that if she passes, I will be ordering a necropsy on her. I don't honestly have the money for her to see a poultry vet, and there is not one close by (1hr+ drive). I also don't think a poultry vet will change her prognosis. I *would* like to know what has caused this stunted growth. I know there is a chance even with necropsy that I will not get a definitive answer. But I feel there is a chance we could get an explanation for her symptoms. Necropsies are not cheap, but if I do it through my work, I can make payments. I am also hoping UGA will give me a discount since I do work for an animal hospital, but that is wishful thinking.



I'm going to continue to provide daily updates so that I have a way to log her "progress". Anyone reading is welcome to ask or advise as they see fit.



I want to be clear that I am relatively confident this story does not have a happy ending. The odds are unequivocally against her. But if she will continue to try, so will I.



Here is her updated weight chart:

4/14/24 - 18.4g

4/15/24 AM - 17.9g

4/15/24 PM - 16.6g

4/16/24 AM (pre feeding) - 16.1g

4/16 2p pre feed - 16.4g

4/16 2p post feed - 17.4g

4/16 5p pre feed - 16.7g

4/16 5p post feed - 17.5g

4/17 9a pre feed - 14.8g

4/17 9a post feed (big feed) - 16.5g

Poor little thing.

I think you are making a good decision. As long as she is fighting, you should, too.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you please get photos of her?

She's now about 9-10 days old?

Sorry, your posts are quite long, so I may have missed this, have you given vitamins?
Sometimes Silkies especially can struggle, so she may benefit from Vitamin E (400IU) and 1/4 tablet B-Complex daily for a couple of weeks.

A video of her actions may be helpful. Upload video to YouTube and provide a link.

 

[aliris]

Oh no, @Just Rosie - what happened? I have become so engrossed in your story, your moral dilemma, your resolution. I am hoping she is a bouncy pullet by now??

 

[Just Rosie]

Hey guys,

I'm sorry to have not updated you on the little chick. Life sort of overcame me.

Unfortunately, she ended up passing not soon after my last post. I did not end up ordering a necropsy, as at the time it ended up being too much for me.

I'm still unsure of what exactly happened, and my only clue was that her symptoms began 3 days after hatching.

Despite frequent syringe feedings of different sorts -- chick slurry, baby food, raw egg yolk-- combined with what supplements I had, she was consistently losing weight. It was as if the food traveled right through her.

You can literally see in the weight log how she would gain a minute amount of weight, then quickly lose it the next morning. I am posting the weight log below.

4/14/24 - 18.4g

4/15/24 AM - 17.9g

4/15/24 PM - 16.6g

4/16/24 AM (pre feeding) - 16.1g

4/16 2p pre feed - 16.4g

4/16 2p post feed - 17.4g

4/16 5p pre feed - 16.7g

4/16 5p post feed - 17.5g

4/17 9a pre feed - 14.8g

4/17 9a post feed (big feed) - 16.5g

4/17 11:30a pre feed - 16.1g

4/17 11:30a post feed - 17.4g

This leads me to believe that there was some sort of nutrient inefficiency, though the cause I am not sure. The one thing I didn't get to try before she passed was Corid. I had just purchsed a bottle the day she died. My chick feed is always medicated, though how much of a dose she actually got I cannot be sure.

I'm a bit suspicious of genetics. This year I have had more chick deaths than I ever had in the past. And I have noticed that a chunk of the chicks feel very thin. I have mass-treated the flock with Corid, which has seemed to improve things somewhat, but about 25% of my brood can't seem to put weight or growth on. The entire brood is all about 3-6 weeks apart, however they are now approaching 4-6 months and there are vast size differences.

I'm not sure at this point if I am dealing with a parasite or other disease, but I'm leaning towards genetics because the adults and 75% of the brood seems to be doing fine. I have only raised 2 broods from these adults, and the first, smaller brood did fine while this brood has struggled. They are all eating well, yet despite this some simply won't grow.

I'm sorry I've gone off on a tangent, but I want to give the full scope in case anyone might have any insight on what I am seeing. The little naked neck who continuously cried was unique--I have not had another chick suffer like that--however the fact that she could not gain weight and a quarter of the brood also seems to struggle with weight makes me wonder if they are connected.

Thank you all who tuned in and gave some great advice, I appreciate your help. I couldn't save the little chick, but I'm relieved to know she is resting easy now.

 

[fuzzi]

Hey guys,

I'm sorry to have not updated you on the little chick. Life sort of overcame me.

Unfortunately, she ended up passing not soon after my last post. I did not end up ordering a necropsy, as at the time it ended up being too much for me.

I'm still unsure of what exactly happened, and my only clue was that her symptoms began 3 days after hatching.

Despite frequent syringe feedings of different sorts -- chick slurry, baby food, raw egg yolk-- combined with what supplements I had, she was consistently losing weight. It was as if the food traveled right through her.

You can literally see in the weight log how she would gain a minute amount of weight, then quickly lose it the next morning. I am posting the weight log below.

4/14/24 - 18.4g

4/15/24 AM - 17.9g

4/15/24 PM - 16.6g

4/16/24 AM (pre feeding) - 16.1g

4/16 2p pre feed - 16.4g

4/16 2p post feed - 17.4g

4/16 5p pre feed - 16.7g

4/16 5p post feed - 17.5g

4/17 9a pre feed - 14.8g

4/17 9a post feed (big feed) - 16.5g

4/17 11:30a pre feed - 16.1g

4/17 11:30a post feed - 17.4g

This leads me to believe that there was some sort of nutrient inefficiency, though the cause I am not sure. The one thing I didn't get to try before she passed was Corid. I had just purchsed a bottle the day she died. My chick feed is always medicated, though how much of a dose she actually got I cannot be sure.

I'm a bit suspicious of genetics. This year I have had more chick deaths than I ever had in the past. And I have noticed that a chunk of the chicks feel very thin. I have mass-treated the flock with Corid, which has seemed to improve things somewhat, but about 25% of my brood can't seem to put weight or growth on. The entire brood is all about 3-6 weeks apart, however they are now approaching 4-6 months and there are vast size differences.

I'm not sure at this point if I am dealing with a parasite or other disease, but I'm leaning towards genetics because the adults and 75% of the brood seems to be doing fine. I have only raised 2 broods from these adults, and the first, smaller brood did fine while this brood has struggled. They are all eating well, yet despite this some simply won't grow.

I'm sorry I've gone off on a tangent, but I want to give the full scope in case anyone might have any insight on what I am seeing. The little naked neck who continuously cried was unique--I have not had another chick suffer like that--however the fact that she could not gain weight and a quarter of the brood also seems to struggle with weight makes me wonder if they are connected.

Thank you all who tuned in and gave some great advice, I appreciate your help. I couldn't save the little chick, but I'm relieved to know she is resting easy now.

Thanks for the update. I had a chick from my last brood that died on day 3 or 4, failure to thrive is about all I can attribute it to.