TSC baby not doing well

[thegreenestacre]

Hey guys!
I hatched a lone chick recently, Early bird, and went to TSC to get her 5 more assorted bantam friends. She's a Cochin bantam. I ended up with 2 bantam Silkies, and 3 more I am currently trying to find the breed of. The White Sillkie doesn't seem to be doing well. While the others are skittering around, preening, eating, and doing few day old chick things, she's laying on her face. Completely on her chest and face. We though she may have been dead for a moment.

She's lethargic, and isn't untrusting of my hands like the others. I just treated her for pasty butt which she had pretty bad, and added electrolytes to the water. I also tried to get her to eat molasses off my finger, but she didn't get much in her.
I have seen her drink and eat a tiny bit, but mostly just stands at the feeder and waterer with the others. I'm feeding Organic Purina flock raiser. I'm hoping she'll start to make a comeback after being in those freezing stressful TSC brooders. They were all huddled under the heat source like they were freezing. I am currently using a heat lamp, but have a brooder plate coming tomorrow because of fire risk. If there are nay questions I haven't answered please so ask. Any ideas? Is it just from the stress of shipment, I know the shippement wasn't long ago, then the transition to bad quality brooders, pasty butt, and now the stress of another move? I hope she makes a come back! Anything else I can do for her?

We had a TSC chick in the same situation last month. I treated her for pasty butt but she never recovered. I think the stress of the shipment and then pasty butt was too much for her system.

Try giving her some warm Greek Yogurt with a bit of chick starter mixed in. You'll likely need to give it to her on a spoon. I also tried the molasses trick with my chick (I mixed it with a bit of water and then fed it to her drop by drop through a syringe) and it definitely perked her up for a while. I've read that too much molasses can end up causing diarrhea so I'd only use this a few times.

I hope this helps, and I sure hope your chick makes it!

 

[Weeg]

She died a little bit ago. Its so horrible! I personally think its the fault of the TSC brooders. When we went there, they were all huddled under the heater, and looked terribly stressed.
Is there anything I can do? I've already singed the petition against them. Its horrible, and so heartbreaking.

We had a TSC chick in the same situation last month. I treated her for pasty butt but she never recovered. I think the stress of the shipment and then pasty butt was too much for her system.

Try giving her some warm Greek Yogurt with a bit of chick starter mixed in. You'll likely need to give it to her on a spoon. I also tried the molasses trick with my chick (I mixed it with a bit of water and then fed it to her drop by drop through a syringe) and it definitely perked her up for a while. I've read that too much molasses can end up causing diarrhea so I'd only use this a few times.

I hope this helps, and I sure hope your chick makes it!

Thank you for the help. She died not to long ago. Poor baby. The way TSC treats chicks is selfish and horrible.

 

[Chickeria]

I'm so sorry you lost your little one
You did everything you could do and you fought for her and with her
She died at a place where someone really cared for her and loved her - not in that too cold brooder from TS - you made that diference.

 

[Weeg]

I'm so sorry you lost your little one
You did everything you could do and you fought for her and with her
She died at a place where someone really cared for her and loved her - not in that too cold brooder from TS - you made that diference.

Thank you so much for those kind words, this helps.
I just wish I could have done more. Poor sweet baby. I really appreciate this, I think you're right. It just sucks so bad!

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

Petition- https://www.change.org/p/tractor-su...pany-change-their-in-store-brooding-practices

Did you watch the update video on that petition? At one point they claim the uproar is mainly from "new backyard chicken enthusiasts who may not have as much knowledge about chickens". That's incredibly insulting. I'm sure there are more newbies than normal getting into the hobby, but I've seen both the novice and experienced complaining about how they have their chicks/ducklings this year. Hell, I took a look myself and it was clear they were too cold.

Apparently employees are also putting at least some of the blame on Hoover's Hatchery, claiming an outbreak of coccidiosis is causing the pasty butt that many have observed. I don't think that coccidiosis is vertically transmissible...so how the heck would the chicks be infected from incubation and the temporary holding that occurs before shipment? Or is it vertically transmissible?

 

[Weeg]

Did you watch the update video on that petition? At one point they claim the uproar is mainly from "new backyard chicken enthusiasts who may not have as much knowledge about chickens". That's incredibly insulting. I'm sure there are more newbies than normal getting into the hobby, but I've seen both the novice and experienced complaining about how they have their chicks/ducklings this year. Hell, I took a look myself and it was clear they were too cold.

I didn't see the video. That is SO LAME! ARhg!!!! That makes me SO mad!
If they are so blind they can't look in the brooders and tell that the chicks are in a bad situation, they're the idiots! I can't believe they are just shrugging it off. Thats terrible.

I actually went to the Mt. Vernon TSC the other day, and they had the old brooders. I don't know if they switched back, or just never switched, but that made my kinda happy that not all the TSC's had the terrible brooders.

 

[dmaloney15]

Is everyone dipping beaks several times when setting them up upon arrival home?