Tiny chicken, eats little, hardly drinks

[Fru-Fru]

Hello, I have been trying to keep a tiny chick alive. Can you help me? What can I do to treat him / increase his chances?

The story is: I got my first chickens a week ago, mail-order from a local hatchery, they are Silkies.

One of them came out of the box a little smaller, panting, did not want to drink or eat. I thought he'd not make it through the night.

I gave him electrolites and fed him egg yolk with a dropper on the 3rd day. He only eats a few drops a day, and started drinking on his own. He has been alive for a week now, but is not improving much, he stumbles around on a bit crooked legs, tries to eat chicken food, but not sure he swollows.

He spends the day sleeping in standing, with his head drooping.

He poops mostly white and pastes up a bit. His butt looks different than the other chicks. Hardly seeing the vent. His body is trianglish, not round. He looks a somewhat malformed.

Is there something more I can do? I'd hate to find out there was a solution when it's too late for him.

Thank you so much, Chicken Community.
Marta

 

[CapricornFarm]

I would get polyvisol without iron and add it to the water. Since you included the details about body shape, this chick may have failure to thrive and likely will not survive. But you can at least try. Personally I cook eggs, either mashed or boiled and mash it up for the chicks and feed a bit by hand every evening. It makes them friendly and helps stimulate their appetite. Good luck with your chick.

 

[micstrachan]

Is this little one eating on his own? You might want to consider tube feeding to get him through this phase. I don’t have experience with failure to thrive, so it’s just a suggestion.

 

[Fru-Fru]

I would get polyvisol without iron and add it to the water. Since you included the details about body shape, this chick may have failure to thrive and likely will not survive. But you can at least try. Personally I cook eggs, either mashed or boiled and mash it up for the chicks and feed a bit by hand every evening. It makes them friendly and helps stimulate their appetite. Good luck with your chick.

I will try polyvisol, thank you. Any advice on the dosage?
He did not want to eat boiled eggs, only fluid yolk.

 

[Fru-Fru]

Is this little one eating on his own? You might want to consider tube feeding to get him through this phase. I don’t have experience with failure to thrive, so it’s just a suggestion.

He eats when I feed him with dropper, and pecks from time to time at the chicken feed. Not sure how much of that he gets, a few grains a day, maybe.. No experience with tube feeding, I guess I'd need to take him to the vet for that? Thank you!

 

[micstrachan]

@casportpony is our resident tube feeder and teacher extraordinaire. She can tube feed birds of all sizes and can coach you. Kathy, what do you think of the idea of tube feeding this little one? I think he might be starving.

 

[cmom]

I have taken a bottle cap and moistened some crumbles with something like Sav-A-Chick. I had to feed several times a day and used some tweezers to feed the chick. Eventually the chick would peck at the feed in the bottle cap and I would monitor how much it ate and would let it take as much as it wanted. It improved and started eating on it's own and when it was stronger I put it back with the other chicks and it survived. It grew into a fine bird. Good luck...

 

[Fru-Fru]

I have taken a bottle cap and moistened some crumbles with something like Sav-A-Chick. I had to feed several times a day and used some tweezers to feed the chick. Eventually the chick would peck at the feed in the bottle cap and I would monitor how much it ate and would let it take as much as it wanted. It improved and started eating on it's own and when it was stronger I put it back with the other chicks and it survived. It grew into a fine bird. Good luck...
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What a good idea. I wish I thought of moistening the crumbs and using tweezers sooner.. This morning, he's doing much worse, he won't eat anymore. Laying on his side, panting.

 

[Fru-Fru]

He just died.. I'm sad. He was a little fighter, and so cute.