Weak chick, can't stand or lift her head

[GracieGirl415]

The other day one of my 10 buff orpington chicks died from some strange disease. (well, it's strange to me, being an inexperienced chicken owner) It took two full days for her to finally be at peace; but the symptoms were strange. The first day I went out to the coop in the morning to let them into the run, and noticed that she was standing with her head on the ground, trying to lift it. Her wings and tail were also droopy. I didn't know what it was, so I left her there thinking maybe she was really tired. In the evening when I went to close them up, I noticed that she was looked fine. Her head was up and she was walking around instead of just standing there. Her wings were still a little droopy, but everything else was fine. the next morning my brother went out and told the chick was near death. I ran out to coop and found her lying on the floor with her head on the ground. I immediately picked her up to separate her and her head hung helplessly down, so I held it up with my elbow. I put her in a large plastic tub with some water and food. (In vain, really, since she couldn't even lift her head) She was in the garage by the door so she could get fresh air. Unfortunately, I was going to be gone most of the day. I put a screen over the tub in case she got better and tried to jump out. I got home around 2:15 and the chick was still alive. I sat with her outside for about an hour. She was lying on a table with a towel under her. We don't have a dropper so I used my finger to drip water into her mouth, which she swallowed every once in a while. Again I had to leave from 6:45 to around 9:30 - 10:00. When I got home my parents informed me that she had passed away. The next morning another chick was on the first day of the sickness. I separated her just like the other one. The same thing happened in the evening, she was standing with her head up. Now today she is lying down again, but seems to have a little more strength than the other one did. This is the position I am in right now. My chicks will be 11 weeks old Sunday. The poo from the sick chick was green and completely liquid last time I checked.

Please help! I feel so powerless. I wish there is something I could do to help the poor chick!

Also, I wondered if I should add a little water to her grower/starter food so it's a little softer if she's able to eat it.

Thanks so much!

Grace

 

[GracieGirl415]

My chick now seems very close to death, but I would still like to know if anybody has any idea what is wrong with her. I'm hoping she will pull through

but right now it doesn't look very probable.

 

[GracieGirl415]

She lives!!!

She's doing fine now, walking, holding her head up, reacting to sights and sounds, eating/drinking. Poop looks normal. I put her back with the others and she seems to be doing fine, although a little timid. She's much smaller than all but one, and not just skinnier. She's shorter and has relatively small feet. I'll keep an eye on her, though, just in case.

P.S. If anyone knows what was wrong with her or my other passed chick, please post a comment as I have no idea as to what caused her sickness.

(To give you an idea of how inexperienced I am, I don't know what Marek's is

)

 

[GracieGirl415]

I want to say thanks to all the people who replied to my emergency (which, by the way, came to a whopping total of 0). The advice really helped. I've heard a lot of great things about this site, and it met all of my expectations.

For those of you who don't recognize sarcasm, the above paragraph is a great example. Most other threads have had people reply within minutes, but for some reason, in the emergency section, you can't get a reply within months of waiting. I wouldn't recommend this site to anyone who is looking for help with their chickens. I am very disappointed

Grace.

 

[Justagurllll]

Keep in mind that this isn't a veterinarian site .. if no one replied, it may because they did not know what was wrong. Contrary to your experience, BYC is actually very informative and helpful ... I find it strange that you would all of a sudden come back 4 months later to leave a comment instead of doing it the day after your first post.

 

[Mr Beaks]

I want to say thanks to all the people who replied to my emergency (which, by the way, came to a whopping total of 0). The advice really helped. I've heard a lot of great things about this site, and it met all of my expectations.

For those of you who don't recognize sarcasm, the above paragraph is a great example. Most other threads have had people reply within minutes, but for some reason, in the emergency section, you can't get a reply within months of waiting. I wouldn't recommend this site to anyone who is looking for help with their chickens. I am very disappointed

Grace. 

So sorry to hear you received no support. I've been there and it stinks! Sometimes the thread gets flooded with emergencies which pushes our posts back a few pages causing them to go unseen. I know for certain that it is not intentional.
My experience is limited and I know it doesn't help you now but It sounds like it could have been coccidiosis. It is fairly common in young chicks and can kill quickly. Usually, there will be blood in the stool but not always. Below is a pic of one of my chicks that had it, along with the treatment (Corid) and a pic from just 3 days into the treatment.

This was all she could do as she was so very weak.

You have every right to be disappointed but I do hope you give BYC another chance as it is the most informative website out there for backyard chicken keeping, IMO. Please feel free to pm me anytime in the future. I'd be more than happy to help in any way I can.

 

[GracieGirl415]

I didn't mean to be grouchy, and I understand the problems with not getting any reply. It was just devastating having two chicks die from the same thing and not being able to help them in any way. I have found other posts that had good information in them. I apologize for my behavior. Also, thank you Mr. Beaks for your information!

Grace