To Cull or Not To Cull?

[SarahGfa]

I have a baby here that hatched 24 hours ago. This was 4 days after the rest of the batch came out (she was the last one). She spent almost a whole day and night struggling to get out of the egg.

Yesterday, she was seizing and convulsing almost the whole day. I was trying to work up the nerve to cull her (I have never put down an animal before, ever) and just couldn't do it So I prayed that she would go painlessly in her sleep.

This morning, I was shocked to find her sitting up. No more seizures. She has pooped several times in the box even though she hasn't eaten anything since hatch.

What should I do? She is not eating or drinking and seems very week, so I gave her some watery egg yolk in a dropper. I worry that I am just prolonging her suffering. But I don't want to give up if there's a chance she will turn out alright.

(sorry for the blurry picture. i put her in a small box to stop her from flipping around so much during her seizures)

 

[JaeG]

I've had a quail do that. It took forever to hatch (and I ended up helping) but then it seemed to go through the hatching spasms that they do as they are unzipping. It just lay there twitching all day. I thought I'd get up to a dead baby in the morning, but it was fine and grew into a healthy adult.

After all that struggling your poor baby will be exhausted. You could try some sugar water perhaps - just dip its beak in and it should drink a little. You could try putting one of the other babies in with her to encourage her to eat too (maybe the smallest one). I'd keep going for now and hopefully it won't be long before it's running around with its brothers and sisters.

 

[happyhens1972]

Have you got any Nutri Drench? It can do wonders to turn round a weak chick and doesn't require digestion, it goes straight int the bloodstream. To save or not to save is a personal thing....I always give it everything I have but some will cull out the weaklings. I can't tell from your picture....has she dried out and fluffed up properly or is there any crusty egg gunk on her? If there is, it needs washing off in warm water so she can fluff up. If they get stuck, there is often dried egg gunk on them and it interferes with their ability to move freely. Can she stand up and walk?

If she can get up and walk, drop crumble down in front of her and tap at it with your finger to encourage her to eat. If she shows any interest at all....a pecking reflex....then it's worth popping her in with her siblings for a bit to see if their activities encourage her to explore but don't leave her unattended or they may overwhelm her.

Scrambled egg, very finely chopped, to the size of crumble, is a great booster too, once she starts eating xx

 

[gimmie birdies]

I used to have a duck we bought that would have seizures, we named him Timber (as in Shiver-me-timbers) he got over his seizures but would still vibrate if you held him, mostly because he was excited. If you sat on the ground he would run up and hop in your lap.

 

[SarahGfa]

I've had a quail do that. It took forever to hatch (and I ended up helping) but then it seemed to go through the hatching spasms that they do as they are unzipping. It just lay there twitching all day. I thought I'd get up to a dead baby in the morning, but it was fine and grew into a healthy adult.

After all that struggling your poor baby will be exhausted. You could try some sugar water perhaps - just dip its beak in and it should drink a little. You could try putting one of the other babies in with her to encourage her to eat too (maybe the smallest one). I'd keep going for now and hopefully it won't be long before it's running around with its brothers and sisters.

Oh whew, that is a relief to hear that a baby chick can spend a day spasming and still come out okay. I felt so helpless as I was watching her twist and kick uncontrollably yesterday.

I will try putting someone in with her, but am a little worried.. the other ones are four days old and will sometimes run back and forth like nutters.

 

[SarahGfa]

Have you got any Nutri Drench? It can do wonders to turn round a weak chick and doesn't require digestion, it goes straight int the bloodstream. To save or not to save is a personal thing....I always give it everything I have but some will cull out the weaklings. I can't tell from your picture....has she dried out and fluffed up properly or is there any crusty egg gunk on her? If there is, it needs washing off in warm water so she can fluff up. If they get stuck, there is often dried egg gunk on them and it interferes with their ability to move freely. Can she stand up and walk?

No, she can't walk or stand... she is just sitting on her butt. I think her toes might be curled, but it might just be that she's too weak to spread out her toes. I don't want to torture her with splints when she is so weak.

Unfortunately I do not have Nutri Drench on hand. I will try sugar water first, and see if that makes a difference. Yes she has been dried out and fluffed since yesterday.

Oh, and I have another question... I know that baby chicks can go for a day or so without food or water because they absorb the yolk just before hatching. But since she spent 24 hours between pip and hatch, does that mean her yolk should be all used up?

 

[gimmie birdies]

sometimes you have to put older chicks with younger ones, these are 2 weeks diff, I put the smallest of the olders, and the calmest. Then when they go in with the other chicks the little one has a friend.

 

[WVduckchick]

I also agree its a personal decision. Sometimes the longer we wait, the harder it gets, but I also think you will just "know" when the time comes. Hopefully your little one perks up.

Agree with the Nutridrench. Great stuff. pick some up next time you are out, to keep on hand. I use it any time one is acting a bit sluggish, even for older birds.

 

[happyhens1972]

No, she can't walk or stand... she is just sitting on her butt. I think her toes might be curled, but it might just be that she's too weak to spread out her toes. I don't want to torture her with splints when she is so weak.

Unfortunately I do not have Nutri Drench on hand. I will try sugar water first, and see if that makes a difference. Yes she has been dried out and fluffed since yesterday.

Oh, and I have another question... I know that baby chicks can go for a day or so without food or water because they absorb the yolk just before hatching. But since she spent 24 hours between pip and hatch, does that mean her yolk should be all used up?

I understand you don't want to torture her but if she is splay legged and toe curled, she is never going to get up which means she won't feed, drink etc and will only get weaker.

Sugar water is good in a pinch but it doesn't have anywhere near the effect of Nutri Drench so if you can get your hands on some, it really could make all the difference. The egg yolk is good too.

As for her own yolk, she would still have been absorbing it in that 24 hours as that is a perfectly normal period between pip and hatch so no, it doesn't count really. She will still have yolk in her belly so she hasn't reached danger point yet but she needs to get up and about to get her digestion system in working order and kick start her feeding instincts xxx

 

[SarahGfa]

I understand you don't want to torture her but if she is splay legged and toe curled, she is never going to get up which means she won't feed, drink etc and will only get weaker.

Sugar water is good in a pinch but it doesn't have anywhere near the effect of Nutri Drench so if you can get your hands on some, it really could make all the difference. The egg yolk is good too.

As for her own yolk, she would still have been absorbing it in that 24 hours as that is a perfectly normal period between pip and hatch so no, it doesn't count really. She will still have yolk in her belly so she hasn't reached danger point yet but she needs to get up and about to get her digestion system in working order and kick start her feeding instincts xxx

Thanks! No splay leg, just toe curl. And I totally agree with you, except that her toes aren't stopping her from feeding right now. The food and water is right in front of her face and all she has to do is lift her head up and peck, but she just isn't interested