Why isn't my chick eating?!?And how do I get her to start eating?!?

[lilygrace10]

Lily is only a week or less old we did not hatch her we bought her along with 7 others on Craigslist we have had them for about 3 days now and we and the people we bought them from are assuming she is only 4 days old. Lily is not only the smallest and youngest she also isn't eating we have tried sugar water to give her energy, scrambled eggs for protein, and her normal vitamins and electro lite water and medicated feed she has not ate anything and the sugar water will not help.she is an Americana breed chick. I really need help'

 

[Granny Hatchet]

sounds like your doing all you can. did you wet the food with the sugar water and then pretend your mama? pick some up in your fingers and let a few small pieces fall down in front of her. is she watching the others eating? i mean, she knows how? and no pasty butt or sore mouth? i used to raise birds, parakeets, lovebirds ect.. and i would hand feed which involves getting some wet mash between my thumb and finger then put it over the birds beak and move my hand in a up and down motion over the beak some times moving the beak too. i have tried this on some guineas that didnt want to eat and it worked to get them started eating. good luck with her

 

[Granny Hatchet]

i just saw a post about tube feeding, ive never done it but i guess it can be done

 

[realsis]

I was told by a vet if you can't find a tube in a pinch you can use a clean air tubing for fish to tube with. You Would want to use exact baby bird food by kaytee. You mix it with water and put in a syringe. Then insert the tube and put the syringe to the tube and the food will flow from the syringe down the tube. I recently had to tube my girls when they were ill. They don't like the tube but once its down they pretty much stay still. You might want to lube the tube slightly to make insertion more comfortable. I used olive oil. Its really scarey at first and a bit nerving to do but its a matter of life or death and it must be done. That's how I looked at it. You can do it. Trust me I know its scarey but it does work.