what is failure to thrive syndrome please? i have a sick chick PICS

[dixieschicks]

I hatched out two silkies on day 20 and the black cochin didnt come until day 21, that is with a lot of help from 2 very active silkies!

i swear they weren't out of the shell 2 seconds and they were running around pecking everything in site!

they went right for the water and food.

all nite long they pecked at that poor cochin egg and I could see some blood inside the membrane and that had it pulled down so far that I could still see the yolk sak had not yet absorbed.

I have searched and searched. First I took a warm moist sterile paper towel and wrapped it around the chick. Then since the silkies had dried I got them out so it could have some peace!

I watched it for hours and finally had to leave before insanity set in. I went to my DH's office and did some paperwork and returned in 4 hours holding my breath.

IT WAS STILL ALIVE and had seperated from shell. I could see and still do although it has hardened, the spot where the yolk absorbed.

I am still so new to this! I dont want to loose this chick although I think nature has its own way.

I am giving it warm sugar water, it is in a 90 to 95 degree brooder on clean paper towels.

I have starter crumbles on the floor and have joined it back with the silkies. He/she just peeps as if in distress and kinda "limps" or walks over to one of them and hangs it poor lil head on their back. They are busy eating and just walking around like crazy and dont want to be bothered. It just wants to be like them

I also read about vitamin drops. I do have one more question. How exactly do you give them a drop on the "side" of their beak?

I am afraid that this 2 day old chick is just not going to thrive. I had a baby polish hatch out under a cochin and died on day 4 suddenly. It never would eat or drink either.

I have had several good hatches so this doesnt happen everytime. I think I read Miss Prissy say 25 % just dont make it. Is that just what I am dealing with?

ps it is really small too. smaller than the bantys and it is a standard cochin

Sorry for long post and thanks for any help. cindy

 

[Chicabee19]

for human babies with failure to thrive, holding them as much as possible is one of the treatments.

 

[pipermark]

The subject line dosnt seem to match the post, so here goes.

Failure to Thrive, is a catch all for , "we haven't a clue why it died, it just did" , sometimes you can do all you can and the chicks still dont make it , its simply natures way of culling.

In fact, to insure that I have a flock of birds with strong immune systems, I will only do so much to "help" a chick.

What I will do.
1. I always server pedeolyte for the first week.
2. I sprinkle probiotics over their food for the first month (bad bacteria is a real chick killer).
3. Keep them clean, and their bedding clean
4. Dont put them on the ground, the ground had a protoza in it that can over power their immune system. cocci. I try to give their immune system time to develope before they have to tangle with the parasites in nature.

Thats about all I try to do, sometimes I do give in a nurse a chick. The chicks that have survived have always become the most affectionate birds. However, they continued to have problems have never survived more than 15 months. The last one would actually come when I called her. She didn't survive a heat wave we had here last year.

 

[dixieschicks]

thanks for your post.

i guess i am just overtired and such a newbie!

I am all over the place with questions as if grasping will save the chick.

just want to do all I can. I guess its my "first born over acheiver syndrom" lol

again thank you

 

[chickenlady]

Sugar water is not the best thing to give. It makes their blood sugar soar and then they crash. Pedialyte would work much better. If you dont have any, I would use plain water. Make sure it is drinking. Once a little chick becomes dehydrated, it is nearly impossible to bring them back, their organs shut down very quickly. I had a little chick who wouldnt drink and started to dehydrate. It just chirped real loud non stop and kept getting weaker and weaker. I started giving it a couple drops of water ever 15 to 30 minutes and 1 drop of poly vi sol 3 times a day. It was noticeably better in 24 hours so I cut back to giving it water every hour and within the next 24 hour period, he started eating and drinking on his own. It was a lot of work but worth it, I still have the chick.

Have you tried dipping his beak in the water to make him drink?