Tired (sick?) chicken won't eat.

[Abigail Rose]

I have a flock of 8-week old chicks (bantam and regular together) that I just this past week introduced to my big chickens. They have been just fine until a few days ago when one started having trouble. I was hoping for some advice on what exactly may be wrong and what to do about it.

On the 22nd it rained and my Polish rooster (the chick in question) got thoroughly drenched but seemed fine, I thought nothing of it.

The next morning he didn't go outside right away and was acting lethargic, so I separated him from the others. I thought perhaps he had gotten chilled by being so wet, so I gave him a high heat lamp for a little warmth. I watched him all day and got him to eat and drink but I kept him separate to be sure he was okay.

The next morning he was still alright so I put him back in with the rest of the flock. He seemed to be fine all day.

Unfortunately the following afternoon I found the big chickens picking on him, a lot, one in particular. He was to the point where he wasn't running away from them any more and just sat and let the one chicken pick away. So I came to the rescue and separated him again. He was thoroughly exhausted and only wanted to sleep, deeply. All day I tried to get him to eat and drink but it didn't really work. I managed to give him some honey water (for an energy boost) by dipping his beak, but it didn't seem to help much.

Today he is the same. Only I tried the honey water again, but this time he wasn't really drinking it even if I dipped his beak.

I don't know if the two incidents are related or not, but I suspect they are. Over all his symptoms aren't that bad, he just wants to sleep, a pretty peaceful sleep too. He doesn't stare or anything and is calm. The big problem is that he won't eat or drink. I don't think it is a disease or illness, more of being exhausted to the point of no appetite. Does anyone think there is something I can do?

 

[Kiki]

You can tube feed and water him.
Nutri Drench would be a great thing to pick up for him too.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is the polish an 8 week old or an older chicken? If he is young, I would consider giving him Corid (amprollium) for 7 days in the water, in case he has coccidiosis. Symptoms can include not eating, sleepiness, weakness, hunched posture, and diarrhea. How do his droppings look?

 

[Abigail Rose]

My Poof Head seems a little bit better today! This morning around 11 o' clock I did tube feed him just a little bit; it was scary but it worked. A few hours later I fed him more food using the tube. After that he slept a bit, then was scratching around looking for food! He seemed perkier and also drank some water when I dipped his beak. I am hoping I will not have to use the tube for him again and that he will start eating on his own. Both times after I fed him he preened, which definitely seems to be good behavior. : )

Thank you everyone so much for your advice and concern! I'll keep you posted on how he is doing.

 

[Abigail Rose]

I'm sorry for not having posted an update sooner. I think the Poof Head is almost completely well again! : ) I did tube feed him more the day after I posted last because he didn't seem to be eating on his own yet. The next day (Friday) I just left him to see what he would do on his own. I was a little concerned though, because he still wasn't eating all that day. Thankfully on Saturday afternoon he suddenly decided he was hungry and wouldn't stop eating! Since then he has been eating lots and doing very well. I think he just has some weight to gain back again.

Thank you everyone again so much for your advice and concern! It has been such a blessing to find this forum; I think I would have had a dead chicken if I hadn't!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @Abigail Rose Welcome To BYC

Since he is a crested bird, I would suspect that he has suffered some head injury/trauma.
Getting him hydrated if very important. If you need to tube/syringe fluids into him like in the @KikisGirls gave you above.

Add some poultry vitamins like Poultry Nutri-Drench to his water. See if he will eat some wet chick starter or chopped egg.

Keep him warm and separated until he recovers. If the rest of your flock are "non polish" then you may need to keep him housed separately. Crest birds do sometimes have a hard time with integration since they are so different.

Let us know how he is doing.

 

[rIrs roost]

Not to be rude but tsc sold me what they said were silkies. I knew that they were't silkies when I seen them. No poofs and 4 toes. But I bought them because I liked them. They also tried to tell me that you can tell a difference between a roo and hen buy holding them by their necks. If the chick moves alot, it's a roo. If it don't move, it's a hen.

 

[Haihai]

I'm not sure... will he eat from your hand?

 

[rIrs roost]

Maybe try some boiled or scrambled eggs or a mash?

 

[Kiki]