Weird Chick Noise

[TassieSheDevil]

I have a day-old Australorp chick who is making a strange almost clicking noise when it sleeps. It almost sounds like the upper and lower beak tapping together. Any clues on what it might be? It was found almost dead from cold this morning and I have had it down the front of my t-shirt for a few hours. It is now very vocal and alert..just the weird noise.

 

[gtaus]

No idea what the clicking sound is, but glad to hear that you were able to save the chick. Had to laugh about the tee shirt save. Personally, I'd invest in a heat lamp. But to each his own.....

 

[TassieSheDevil]

No idea what the clicking sound is, but glad to hear that you were able to save the chick. Had to laugh about the tee shirt save. Personally, I'd invest in a heat lamp. But to each his own.....

Yeah, going to check out heat lamps asap.

 

[Fluffyflufffluff]

I have a day-old Australorp chick who is making a strange almost clicking noise when it sleeps. It almost sounds like the upper and lower beak tapping together. Any clues on what it might be? It was found almost dead from cold this morning and I have had it down the front of my t-shirt for a few hours. It is now very vocal and alert..just the weird noise.

That sounds new. beak tapping.. thats so strange.. well.. If they're healthy even if you hear tapping.. i guess its ok. but.. i think its better if have them checked.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a day-old Australorp chick who is making a strange almost clicking noise when it sleeps. It almost sounds like the upper and lower beak tapping together. Any clues on what it might be? It was found almost dead from cold this morning and I have had it down the front of my t-shirt for a few hours. It is now very vocal and alert..just the weird noise.

How is the chick?
Is she the only chick that hatched - was she broody hatched?
You found her in the cold, so I'm guessing she was left behind or fell out of the nest?

Is the clicking when she breaths? Could be underdeveloped air sacs which may resolve as she gets a bit older and gains strength.

What are your plans - brooding her inside? You can use a Mama heating pad system to put inside a brooder for her. I would also get some Poultry Nutri-Drench or Poultry Cell and give her 2-3 drops twice a day for a week.

 

[TassieSheDevil]

She was incubator hatched but the heat in the brooder failed overnight. A second one hatched yesterday, 36 hours since pipping, but was tangled in strips of dried membrane and had trouble breathing. It died a few hours later. No. 1 chick seems less alert than yesterday and is sleeping most of the time. She revived a little bit when I gave her brown sugar dissolved in water via syringe. We live an hour from town and can't easily get vitamins etc. This is my second attempt at incubating and will be my last. First attempt was muscovy duck eggs and none hatched. It's too disheartening to try again. If the mothers won't do the job, then so be it.

 

[VictoriaTemple]

Sorry to hear about your losses, it must be heartbreaking. If it helps any, I recently read that duck eggs are much more difficult to incubate than chicken eggs, and require higher humidity. Anybody’s bator can lose power, it’s sad but it happens.

 

[CindyinSD]

You can dissolve a little honey and salt in tepid water and feed it to her with an eye dropper to perk her up. It’s usual for them to be sleepy for a day or three after hatching, but the hypothermia bout could prove to be too much for her.

If you don’t have or she won’t eat chick crumbles, scramble some egg for her. Liquid and sugar are most important just now, though. Chick crumbles can be soaked in warm water to make them yummier and more warming. When you go to town, buying her a vitamin supplement, even one for baby humans, might help.

Sorry about your lost baby. If your farm store has chicks yet, get one or two to keep her company or try to get some from a fellow chicken keeper. If nothing else, get her a small pillow or stuffed toy to snuggle with. Poor lonely little one.

Don’t get discouraged about your incubating luck, though. It’s most likely not your fault. If your eggs were shipped or otherwise mistreated, they’ll be hard to hatch. That goes triple for Muscovy eggs. I hear they’re especially difficult to hatch. Best of blessings with your new baby.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I think it was very sweet and clever to put the baby next to your heart to warm it. I wish it, and you, all the best!

 

[TassieSheDevil]

Unfortunately little Peeper died while my partner was holding her. We are both pretty upset about it but have 60 ducks and 17 chickens to care for. We won't be doing any more incubating.