Think we may be about to lose a chick... :( Help?

[NightingaleJen]

Apologies for not having photo or video, but one of our five-day old Dominiques was acting listless this afternoon: just standing, eyes half-closed, while the others played all around her. No strange-looking poops. I completely empty and clean the brooder (which is now about 8 x 3 with a heat plate) every other day; we just stopped using paper towels atop the bedding last night. Fresh water daily, one with Sav-a-Chick from the standard mason jar/base configuration set up a bit to help keep bedding out, and another plain and out of vertical nipples. As you might imagine, the former gets fresh a few times a day! They're on medicated chick crumble (it was freshest by two weeks).

I managed to get little Nutri-Drench and warm sugar water into her, but she did not even want that. Nor did she want the electrolyte water, which I twice dipped her beak into. Placed her back beneath the heat plate. Is there anything else we should or can do? :/

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm sorry. I lost one at about 4-5 days old -- fine one day -- even bold and leading the exploration of the brooder (she was the first to drink on her own) -- listless the next morning, and dead in the afternoon.

Nothing visible wrong. Perhaps just delayed shipping stress. These things happen.

I can't help with your chick, but it seems unlikely that you've done anything wrong if the others are thriving.

 

[NightingaleJen]

I'm sorry. I lost one at about 4-5 days old -- fine one day -- even bold and leading the exploration of the brooder (she was the first to drink on her own) -- listless the next morning, and dead in the afternoon.

Nothing visible wrong. Perhaps just delayed shipping stress. These things happen.

I can't help with your chick, but it seems unlikely that you've done anything wrong if the others are thriving.

Thank you. We'll see. We just went out to check on her, dip her beak in water, and give her more Nutri-Drench and she is hanging on... She popped over to the other side of the brooder for a few minutes, but went back to the heat plate after that. We are doing the best we can--which is all any of us can do for them, I suppose!

Here she is, just a few minutes ago:

Poor thing!

Everybody else seems happy.

 

[NightingaleJen]

She seems to have perked up a bit! Still acting a little lethargic, but when we checked in on them about 7:15 she was getting a drink. Gave her the last dose of Nutri-Drench for the day, after which she scratched around a bit, then ate a little without any encouragement! She sat on the rock we'd put in for them to play on, then tucked back in beneath the Ecoglow. So... Maybe she'll pull through. We'll see!

 

[NightingaleJen]

She is doing well! Still a smidgen slower than the others, but it is hardly noticeable (or I'm paranoid). Maybe a bug they should not have eaten managed to get into the brooder (it is in the coop) and she caught it? Happy she seems okay. Thank you for your encouragement!

 

[PasoRoblesEgger]

She is doing well! Still a smidgen slower than the others, but it is hardly noticeable (or I'm paranoid). Maybe a bug they should not have eaten managed to get into the brooder (it is in the coop) and she caught it? Happy she seems okay. Thank you for your encouragement!

Yay!! Happy to hear she is feeling perky again.

 

[slbenter]

How was she today?

 

[NightingaleJen]

How was she today?

Thank you for asking! She is running around the brooder being silly like the rest of the chicks.

 

[M Brennen]

So happy she sounds like she is doing well!