Very young chick ill...

[LavendarFeather]

Went to check on my broody with her chicks, and one was lying on the ground and appeared dead. Picked her up, she was stone cold but alive. Chick is 6 or 7 days old. Others were fine. They are outside with mom, and it's been cool at night. Thought maybe she had somehow gotten separated from others and just got too cold.

Brought her in the house, put her in the incubator to warm up. Gave her warm water with sugar and electrolytes. She slept a long while, then later perked up but couldn't stand. More water, back in bator, hours later she was hopping around but her neck was twisted. Researched wry neck, gave her selenium, vitamin E oil, and other vitamins, while continuing the water mixture.

This morning she is much improved--neck straighter, more like just a head tilt, and hopping around. Have her on burlap in a box with heat lamp. Continuing with the liquids but can't seem to help her eat. Tried some raw egg yolk through the dropper, but not sure how much she got. Meanwhile, she is chirping non-stop, so I know she wants something. She's warm and has a fluffy thing to cuddle with, so I'm assuming she's hungry. I've never had to syringe feed a chick before. I don't know if she can manage the motions that she needs to use to eat. Oh, and she was a bit pasted up this morning, but of course I cleaned her up.

Any suggestions one what to give her, and how? Anything else I'm missing? Thanks! (Background: she's an Ameraucana chick from a shipped egg, one of the first two that hatched, and she's with an experienced Bantam Cochin mom.)

Thanks so much. I know this information is already posted somewhere, but I get lost reading multiple threads, and might miss something important….

Betsy

 

[ArtGirl]

I think you are doing good just keep doing what you are doing. You could try giving her some yogurt. It tastes sweat so they like it and it's got a lot of vitamins so it will help her perk up.

 

[foreverlearning]

Because she had gotten so cold she may need more heat then normal. I had one that got separated from my broody and got stone cold. I brought her in the house and she required more heat then any other chick I have raised. I had to put a heating pad (low) in the brooder for her on top of the heat lamp. She is now my best layer. For the feed, if she can drink water on her own then she can eat feed. I suggest making a mash out of it so it would be easier for her to get into her mouth. Just mix a little water in her feed for the mash. This will also help her in the fact that she will be getting water from her feed so she needs less movements to get the same amount in her system. If she can't manage eating or drinking herself you could always put some mash in a syringe, open her beak, and place it in the front of her mouth. Don't put it all the way down her throat, let her work it down as needed. As long as it is in her mouth she should be able to manage. If all else fails, you could look up tube feeding. I have never done it before so I can't advise on how to do it but there are a lot of threads on here about it.

 

[LavendarFeather]

Thank you both for your comments and suggestions. You may be right about the extra heat--she is quieter when I put her in the incubator. I could try that again for awhile, so she can get some rest. Walking back and forth screaming your head off can be exhausting, I'd imagine!