UPDATED: 4 day old Cuckoo Marans still not doing well- She died today

[OlivesMama]

I posted in the diseases/injuries forum a few days ago about my Cuckoo Marans chick. A few hours after I brought her home, she began peeping very loud. She was lethargic, couldn't stand, eat or drink, or open her eyes. After a night of isolation in a kennel with a heating pad, Poultry Drench, vitamins and electrolytes dripped on her beak, she woke up peeping and moving around. I got her to eat and drink and she seemed ok.

Today I noticed she was off by herself in the brooder and the other 3 chicks were running around and she was just laying there I kept an eye on her and late noticed she was tipped over on her back and kicking a leg out. She was stuck like that and I had to pick her up. She appears to be very weak, but is eating and drinking. She mostly wants to just lay under the heat lamp. Her poo looks ok, and is the same as the others. There's no blood and she doesn't have diarrhea. I brought her in and held her for a bit and noticed a bubble on one nostril and some clear discharge. She also was sneezing. Her eyes are clear with no discharge. The sneezing has stopped and I have not seen any more nasal discharge since. She just wants to lay down and peeps a lot. She seems very tiny compared to the other chick that was hatched on the same day (last Thursday). I don't have any other Marans chicks to compare her to. She doesn't look like she's growing, although the other chick is noticeably bigger.

The only time she seems to really be comfortable is when I bring her inside and put her on a heating pad on my lap in a blanket and rub her. It's as if she can't stay warm, even in the brooder right under the light. I have sand in it and some bricks, so it is warm enough. The other chicks are happily moving around and comfy. Any ideas on what could be wrong with my little girl? Should I call the feed store I bought her from and see if anyone has contacted them about issues with the other Marans chicks? I've been lucky so far and this is the only sick chick I've had. I'm kind of at a loss...

 

[fiddlebanshee]

It could just be 'failure to thrive" Sometimes chicks just aren't strong enough. I've had two of those over the years. Nothing much you can do except making her comfortable. Providing electrolytes and vitamins in the water may perk her up. Sometimes they grow out of it, sometimes they just give up and die.

It's heart breaking isn't it? Good luck with your chick.

 

[OlivesMama]

Thanks for your reply. I held her on a heating pad for most of the night, then put her back in the brooder. I woke up this morning to check on her and the garage door had been pushed open by our dog. It was pretty cold and drafty. She was laying on her side, legs out and limp. She had sand stuck to her eye. I thought for sure she was almost dead, so I brought her inside to keep her comfortable.

She laid on the heating pad for a bi, breathing hard, but then started to move and peep again. She's up and standing, but only drinking water. I made another brooder for her inside and that's where she'll stay. She's sleeping comfortably now. Yes, it is heartbreaking. I just got chicks a month ago and am brand new to this. I'll admit I cried a bit. I've only had her since Saturday, but I'm a big old softy and love her already.Maybe I feel bad for her because she's so tiny and has had a rough go at life already. I know that if I'm going to be successful at raising chickens, I'm eventually going to have to learn to cull them when something goes wrong. I just don't have it in me to do it right now. If she takes a turn for the worse again, I'll probably have to have my husband do it. She's resting comfortably right now, so she's not suffering.

 

[OlivesMama]

She's still hanging on and has improved. She's been able to walk around, eat, and drink. I got some more Poultry Drench into her. She peeps and peeps until I put her on a heating pad in my lap. It's so hard to believe she went from unresponsive and cold this morning, to an active chick again. What a roller coaster.

 

[lcammack]

You could try to feed her some cooked egg yolk made into a paste. (If she won't eat the paste you can water it down enough to get it in a syringe and feed her that way). They love it, and sometimes it is just enough to perk them up. They also really like plain yogurt, we had a batch of sick ones from our local farm store and we would mix their chick starter into some plain Greek yogurt and let it sit a bit so the chick starter would soften. They loved it and it was a good way to get the chick starter in them when they were not really interested in eating. Best wishes to you and your baby!

 

[OlivesMama]

lcmmack- Thanks for your suggestions. I did just smash up an egg yolk for her and she ate some. I noticed today that she seems to be having trouble eating the crumbles, like they are too big for her. I crunched them up even more and she can eat those. I wouldn't have thought of the yogurt mixed with the crumbles! I'll do that later.

 

[BlueMoonFarm]

Good luck! I hope she turns around soon. I just got my chicks today (first-timer also) and I have one displaying similar symptoms. I've given her some more nutri-drench, but wonder how much extra to give. Are you giving it more than twice a day? It IS heartbreaking. Hope you have a pleasant surprise in the morning!

 

[fiddlebanshee]

Yolk is very good for sick chickens, as it is very nutrient dense. I had a sick 9 month old hen a couple of weeks ago that wouldn't eat and I beat up a yolk with some water and then used a dropper to dispense drops along her beak and she swallowed some and then got more interested. I hand fed her for some days this way, mixing in some broth and pro-biotics and now she is fully recovered. I really thought she was not going to make it, as weak as she was.

 

[OlivesMama]

Bluemoonfarm- I just put a few drops in her little water dish. You're suppose to give them a drop right into their mouth when they are in trouble. I figure a few drops in a dish is about right. I just let her drink it throughout the day.

Fiddlebanshee- I gave her hard boiled yolk yesterday and she had no interest. She preferred her crumbles instead. She also had no interest in yogurt with crumbles mixed in.

Today her peeping sound strange, like if we tried to talk with a sore throat. She sounds hoarse. I don't know if it's because she peeped almost nonstop yesterday? It almost sound like fluid in there. I think I will go get some antibiotics at the feed store. She did display respiratory issues a few days ago with the drainage and sneezing. She seems even more lethargic today.

 

[OlivesMama]

She died.

I knew she was being too quiet this morning. It's for the best, since she was so sick and tiny. She passed in her sleep and we didn't have to do it, so I'm thankful for that.
RIP Princess Peeps.

Thanks everyone for all of their ideas, suggestions, and help. I've learned a lot from the this experience. I think I'll build a first aid kit so I have everything I need on hand if this happens again.