Tired Chick

[Fangster123]

I have a 3 day old chick that is very tired and falls asleep and its head droops even when standing up. It also has a crooked toe so is struggling to walk, and I have made a 'shoe' to fix it. Are these two related? And what can I do to help her? Thanks for any advice you can give.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Was it shipped or hatched by you? I usually put brown sugar in my water the first week, a teaspoon to a quart for quick energy, others use electrolytes to make sure chicks don't get low blood sugars. Young chicks do sleep a lot and fall asleep in in the middle of stuff, so it could be normal.

Crooked toes can be from incorrect incubating temperatures or deficiencies in the parent stock. Some can be fixed and others can't.

 

[Alaskan]

check the chick's crop to see if it is actually eating.

If it is eating and drinking. .. it might just be normal.

But... it could be that the shoe is making it hard for the chick to eat and drink enough.

 

[HenniesInMyHeart]

x2. Please make sure your baby is able to get to the food and water! They do sleep a lot, especially early on.