two week old peachick is very ill

[chrisnjen]

Hi,
This is my first post, and I am in need of peachick advise. I have 4 peachicks that hatched under a chicken 2 weeks ago. They were removed & brought into the house the same day as they hatched. They have all been eating & drinking & growing fine until now. I have 1 that is very listless and will not eat or drink. As I hold her I notice she is smaller than the others and thinner. She must have not been eating for a while? Is there anything I can do/try? I have mixed up sugar water and tried to dip her beak in it.
Thank you

 

[AugeredIn]

Try boiled or scrambled eggs and see if it eats. I think the most common mistake for peachick rookies is lack of heat. Keep it warm.

 

[Kedreeva]

Are you feeding her medicated starter or just regular starter? I'd agree with augeredin- keep it warm (like 90+) and try giving it eggs but leave out the whites of the eggs. If you can only get a little into the bird, then go with a hard boiled yolk because the whites don't have much in the way of nutrition. You can dissolve some of it into a bit of water and syringe feed if necessary. Just put a drop along the edge of the beak and it should wick into the chick's mouth; if your chick can't even swallow when this happens, it may be too late.

 

[NateinFL]

They make electrolytes for chicks has all the vitamins might make the baby bounce back to life a bit if it refuses to eat. Just an idea...

 

[Kedreeva]

They make electrolytes for chicks has all the vitamins might make the baby bounce back to life a bit if it refuses to eat. Just an idea...

Yes, excellent idea. Tractor Supply sells it if you have one near you, or another farm store. The packets look like this:


Here's a link to TSC's product page:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/chicke...de-electrolyte-and-vitamin-supplement-1000724

And if you don't have a TSC near you, walmart sells unflavored pedialyte in the infant food/drinks section that works just as well and you don't need to mix it.

 

[chrisnjen]

Thanks alot for all of the advise. She did die last night. She was warm & dry on wire with shavings beneath and a light in there as well as 3 others peachicks. They have been eating medicated gamebird starter. She would've been 2 weeks today. It will remain a mystery I guess. I did get some nutridrench and antibiotics for the others water just in case. I raised 4 this way last year with no problem. I will keep reading, reading, reading....thanks again all.

 

[NateinFL]

Keep a close eye on the rest of them...look for droopy wings, etc.

 

[Kedreeva]

Sorry to hear that