Weak Chick - help appreciated.

[lizardz]

I just received my order of fuzzy butts from McMurray yesterday morning. I dipped everyone's beak in water and got them all settled in. Everyone looked good last night when I checked on them. This morning I noticed one was very lethargic, keeping her eyes closed, not wanting to move, and when she did, she was very wobbly. Mixed up some chick starter with sugar water to make a slurry and managed to get her to take in some of it. Put her into the box they were originally shipped in with the slurry and a feather duster to comfort her. When I got home, she was the same - eyes closed, reluctant to move, wobbly. Fed her some more of the slurry (mixed in a drop of poly-visol), cleaned off her bum (pasty butt), and set her down - she stumbled around for a while, then seemed to improve and ran around a bit, then went to sleep. Checked on her again a little while ago and she's back to where she was originally. Her feet and legs look normal, but she just can't seem to stay on them well (she's on papertowels). She eats if I put food on a spoon or in a dropper, but won't peck at food or drink without encouragement. She seldom opens her eyes. So, do you think there is any hope for her? Is there anything else I can try feeding her to get her strength up? How often should I feed/water her? Or, do I need to suck it up and put her out of her misery? Thanks for any help you can give me.
Liz

 

[HickoryGuy]

Sounds like you're giving her the right stuff. Feed her all she'll take of it. I wouldn't put her out of her misery just yet, because if she's sleeping, she's probably not in terrible pain. Give her some more time. She may very well not make it, but she might surprise you.

 

[chookchick]

Sounds like you are doing the right things, but I would not give her any more sugar. She needs to also have access to the warmth of the light, and an area to cool off. What I did with my little one was make her a small semi-circle of hardware cloth in the corner of the brooder, with part of it under the light. That way she could still see and hear the others, but not get run over. Good luck with your little one!

 

[lizardz]

Thanks HickoryGuy and ChookChick. She's in the box they were shipped in and under a light, so she's warm. She's next to the other chicks, so can hear them, but not see them. She has a feather duster to snuggle under and for company - poor substitution, but won't run over the top of her. I'm still adding sugar to the water to hopefully give her a bit of a boost. McMurrary suggested adding sugar to the water for the first 3 days after they arrived, and this is day two. I'm reluctant to leave the food slurry in her box as she keeps falling into it and I had to wash her off earlier and I don't really want to get her wet. I'm concerned about her being dehydrated. I just fed her again and she seemed eager to eat briefly, but she won't put her head down to eat - I have to hold it up to her beak. When she eats, she then tilts her head back like they do when they drink (this may be because the food has a lot of water mixed in). When she stands/walks, it almost looks like she's standing on tippy toes. Any one else want to chime in with ideas?

 

[chookchick]

The sugar can contribute to pasty butt (diarrhea) so I'd have to disagree with MM on that point. It is a good energy boost when they first arrive, but after that I don't think it is warranted. You could give her crumbled egg yolk which she might really like, and would be good for her. Sometimes they just need a lot of sleep to catch up.

 

[lizardz]

Okay, I'll discontinue the sugar water and cook up some egg for her and try to feed her again before I go to bed.