Urgent please help!

[CrazyChickens09]

5 day old chick very lethargic and very quiet! I pick it up and it almost immediately falls asleep..wings are very droopy! it was happy go lucky last night and today it has been really quiet and when I would check on it it would be asleep.. I originally thought maybe it was due to growth but now I am really really concerned! What can I do for it?

 

[PoultryGirly]

Was it shipped to you or did you hatch it? If it was shipped, it would most likely be from stress and being trampled. Is he isolated from the other chicks (if there are other chick's)? If not, I would separate him. I would put him on poultry electrolytes ASAP or if you don't have any available at the moment, put some sugar in his water and dip his beak in it. Is he eating? If the answer is no, then I would scramble some eggs for him or give him yogurt to make sure he has something in his tummy. Does his poo look normal? Any signs of trauma? Does he have enough heat? Too much heat? Is there a chance he could've gotten into toxins? Have you given them anything out of the ordinary lately?

 

[cafarmgirl]

With chicks that have sudden onset of lethargy like that the first thing I suspect is coccidiosis. It's very common in chicks and brooders are perfect places for it. Not saying it might not be something else but in a chick that's been doing well and suddenly lethargic it's a suspect. I treat them for it if I even think it might be coccidiosis just because it is lethal and moves really fast. If it is some other problem at least you've ruled it out. If it IS cocci then you will likely save your chicks by treating, unless you start treatment too late. It certainly does no harm to run a course of Corid, either the liquid or the powder.

 

[PoultryGirly]

Thats what I was suspecting, cafarmgirl.

 

[CrazyChickens09]

chick from shipped hatching eggs.. only one out of fourteen to survive/hatch. Chick is currently on medicated chick feed but I cant honestly say I have seen it eat a lot of it.

 

[BeckyPower]

I would like to know more about this too. I have a 1 week old M.M. hatchery silkie that started out great then has grown lethargic. I've been syringe feeding her. (I raised a cockatiel once) They're on medicated chick starter, got vaccinated@ MM. I've been feeding her about every four hours with a mixture of baby parrot food &her starter. She doesn't eat or drink on her own. She's not at all interested in pecking anything. I have lost 11 babies don't want to loose her. I haven't done any yogurt just doesn't seem like anything they could digest, do they even have the enzymes to digest milk proteins? I do have about 40 other babies that I'm having a hard time enjoying because of this fragile little girl.

 

[PoultryGirly]

BeckyPower, I'm glad you made the choice to force feed your baby. I've heard that when chickens are sick, though, and aren't eating, then you should definitely try to give them yogurt. You could also try scrambled eggs. Do you have her on electrolytes? If not, I would give her some, or you could put sugar in her water to perk her up. Don't worry yourself about her: she'll either make it and live a happy life with you, or she will pass and live a great life up in Chickie Heaven. Have fun with your babies!

 

[BeckyPower]

Thank you ChickenPerson, "Baby Chick" is doing better. I put Nutri-Drench vitamins and caro syrup in her gruel. She's actually pecking around today!

YIPEE! I hope soon she'll start following her brothers and sisters and start eating on her own. She's not very easy to feed, it's like she doesn't want to eat. We both get quiet messy. LOL. she's worked herself very deep in my heart. She has a couple of "big" sisters that look out after her and let her follow them around and sometimes in defend her from the curiousness of others. I'm very hopeful. It was a tough week; with loosing 11 babies and then almost this one. I'm starting to get a few more minutes of sleep.