Weak baby chick, possibly cocci, please help!

[abserbean]

He is separated, he's too pitiful to be lonely, he's not even opening his eyes or peeping. Just lays there on his side, breathing. I'm going to try the mashed egg now, followed with some more corid water. Don't know what else to do, he may just be one that isn't strong enough.

 

[lightchick]

Just keep on trying! I know it sounds weird, but maybe you can tell him not to give up?

 

[abserbean]

I just got him to take about 3 ccs of boiled egg mash, he perked up enough to open his mouth and he briefly opened one eye. I can't feel his crop filling up, but I know it's going in. How much is enough for a little guy like this? I did give him a slightly higher dose of the corid water, I figure it can't hurt b/c right now the disease is winning. After the egg he just layed back down, I'll try again in an hour if he is still with us.

 

[lightchick]

So glad he's doing better!

 

[abserbean]

well, not really better, but still alive for now. I got him to eat a little more egg mash, maybe 1 cc. He didn't open his eyes this time, and he is like a limp dishrag, no muscle tone. His little head just flops around. He needs to turn a corner soon, I can't see how he can make it much longer like this.

 

[lightchick]

Don't give up! Oh poor baby!

 

[abserbean]

Not giving up, at least not yet. He took a little more corid water, but than about half came up and now I'm worried about aspirating. I gave him 3 ccs again, but I guess it was too much this time. And since he can't lift his head, it all ran in his nose. He did have a poop that wasn't bloody though, so I guess the corid is doing it's job. I'm just concerned that I caught it too late, but I will keep trying.

 

[casportpony]

3cc's is probably way too much for most 3 day old chicks.

-Kathy

 

[abserbean]

Yeah, I figured that out when it came back up. I was trying to help, but was a little over zealous. Baby chick did not make it. I'm not sure if I made things worse, or if it was just too far gone. He passed early this morning. I am keeping the healthy chicks on the corid water for the five days, even though they seem healthy. I still don't know if it was cocci, or just poor breeding, that caused us to lose these two chicks. These eggs were from a free range flock that was for eggs for eating, but they were fertile so we thought they would be okay for our broody to hatch. It seems like at one and three days old, they would have been too young for cocci, but the symptoms fit. Can cocci live in the egg? I didn't think so, but I'm still learning. This has been a sad couple of days, but a good learning experience for us. We have been blessed with a very healthy flock up until this point, so these little guys are our fist losses. All of my friends with chickens have had something, mg, cocci, predator attacks, so we have been lucky. I appreciate all help offered, and I'm thankful to have this resource to go to. Hoping the other three chicks stay healthy, so far they seem great. I'm doing a complete bedding change in the coop to make sure.

 

[casportpony]

Sorry for your loss.

It might be possible for chicks that young to get coccidiosis by "cloacal drinking", but don't quote me on that. They can get another protozoa that way (blackhead), but I don't know about coccidiosis. I would be more suspicious of a yolk sac infection that spread to the intestines.

-Kathy