New to this... One chick is just not thriving!!!

[Steveandlacie]

2nd time chick owner - my first brood went to my Mom's coop as I didn’t have one.

I have 8 approx. 3-4 week old chicks I bought from a local farm store. I have them with proper heat (with a few times it was wait that too hot or cold when I was at work), thermometer, plenty of food water and space. One chick is definitely the runt. I named her Charlotte. She was the first to have pasty vent then 3-4 had it and I adjusted all my variables and never saw it again from anyone. That was two weeks ago...

Now this little chick is huddled, eyes mostly closed and chirping non stop. She’s breathing faster than the other chicks which was my first sign of something being wrong. She also had little poo but had picked that back up with my hand feeding.

Here’s what I have tried so far:
Free fed electrolytes in water x 1 week
Hand fed egg yolk x 1 day
Hand fed probiotic and electrolytes in water x 3 days (She started only taking 1ml and it now up to 3 ml)
Separated her (she was getting picked on) x 2 days
Put one small meek chick in with her for warmth and company x 1 day

I just put her back in the brooder with the other chicks this morning. Some chicks came to comfort her. There she still sits huddled and chirping - much smaller than the rest of the bunch. She doesn’t walk much (but can) and I haven’t seen her eat in 4 days unless hand fed.

I did spill a small amount of water in the brooder one night and didn’t change it til the next day. Not sure if that could have done her in but you’d think she’d make a comeback with all this googled expert care I’ve been giving her for the last three days.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Steveandlacie]

Here are pictures!

 

[Steveandlacie]

Anyone?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Your runt may be a failure-to-thrive case, where something's wrong internally (and if that's the case, there's little chance of survival). But if you want to try giving her a fighting chance, she does need to eat and drink, which she seems to be struggling with.

Have you tried soaking her chick feed and feeding it wet? I'd consider also direct dosing a few drops of Poultry Nutri-Drench at full strength a couple times a day.

 

[Steveandlacie]

Your runt may be a failure-to-thrive case, where something's wrong internally (and if that's the case, there's little chance of survival). But if you want to try giving her a fighting chance, she does need to eat and drink, which she seems to be struggling with.

Have you tried soaking her chick feed and feeding it wet? I'd consider also direct dosing a few drops of Poultry Nutri-Drench at full strength a couple times a day.

Thank you! I will get some of that today. I haven’t given her wet food but she was pecking at the feed today! Hopefully she will eat enough.

 

[Chickeria]

Good luck with your sweet little one, I hope she feels better soon

 

[Kiki]

3-4 week old chicks don't need to be kept in a hot brooder.
What temperature is it right now under your heat lamp?

 

[MountainWoman73]

It happens sometimes, although it's always a bummer. I hate waiting for them to die when it's obvious they're going to, but it's also hard to cull a baby chick when you really want it to perk up and live. You can try a lot of things, but in my experience, once they get that dead-chick-walking look with the hunched shoulders and closed eyes, there is nothing you can do.

 

[chickiechickiebawkbawk]

I had a batch arrive in the mail on St Patricks day from TSC and a few died. Some died two weeks later maybe because of the brooder being too hot and they were already sick.
I tried similar things to save them. I have one that I was expecting to bury on Easter that is still alive but half the size of everybody else. She breathes heavy also. Her wings used to droop a lot (see pic). I heard about runts that will live for a couple months. She was chirping constantly for five days and she had a healthy friend with her in the infirmary.
I gave her medicated feed, scrambled eggs, Apple Cider Vinegar water, added water to her crumble to soften it up and kept dropping water on her beak with my finger. She got strong enough that she and her friend went back with the others (see other pic, she is half the size) and she's now just over four weeks old! Fingers crossed but her organs don't seem to be developing. We'll see. Good luck with your baby!

 

[L0rraine]

Your runt may be a failure-to-thrive case, where something's wrong internally (and if that's the case, there's little chance of survival). But if you want to try giving her a fighting chance, she does need to eat and drink, which she seems to be struggling with.

Have you tried soaking her chick feed and feeding it wet? I'd consider also direct dosing a few drops of Poultry Nutri-Drench at full strength a couple times a day.

I was also going to suggest the soaked chick feed - it has worked wonders with some of my weaker chicks. Also, I know this sounds strange, but I had a chick in very sad shape that kept pecking at little bits of sawdust or dust on the side of the brooder. i ended up sticking wet mash at eye level on the side of the brooder and shockingly she was all over it and soon had strength back.

I feel like I’ve had fairly good success over the years working with chicks ‘failing to thrive’ so I keep working on giving them a chance. still sad when I lose one, but the little successes make it all worth it.

I currently have a week old English Orpington, who I was convinced I would lose - she wouldn’t eat or drink, but when given the wet mash she started slowly picking at it. And it appears to have worked, and she seems to have caught up with the others.