Weak, Wobbly, Chick.

[SuperChickRuth]

Just got one Salmon Favorelle chick, around two/three days old. Named her Ethel.

Ethel seems to be very weak, and is wobbly on her legs. She doesn't lie down, but is standing under heat lamp, swaying slightly. She doesn't open her eyes much, ignores the water, food, and other chicks. -We already had two Buff Opringtons, a little over a week old in the brooder.

What should we do for her?

 

[Alexandra33]

Pump her full of nutrients through a dropper, is what I would say!

My favorite cure for weak, unstable, chicks who aren't thriving is a solution of crumbles made into a soup with some filtered water, Nutridrench, yogurt, and a little Rooster Booster probiotics. I've even treated a Silver Penciled Wyandotte with wry neck on this stuff.

Best wishes,
~Alex

 

[Gresh]

Was she like this when you first purchased her, or has she suddenly developed these symptoms? Is she pooping any? If so, what does her poop look like?

She could be suffering from an intestinal problem. In the past, I have had two chicks who have suffered from coccidiosis, which is a parasitical disease that attacks the wall of a chick's intestines and causes severe discomfort and bloody feces. The first chick has such a serious case that I had to give her penicillin (she made a full recovery), and the second was so mild that I merely gave her some dairy products to restore her intestinal balance (she also made a complete recovery).

If you want to, try taking her to a vet as soon as possible. Not all vets know how to treat chickens, though.

If you need penicillin, try your local feedstore or Tractor Supply Co. They usually have medicines for common livestock ailments and might have what you need.

Hope your little girl recovers.

~Gresh~

 

[Eggcessive]

That young, I would guess, she is just a weak chick. Give her either Poultry Nutri-Drench 1 ml daily and lots of water, or put SaveAChick vitamins with electrolytes into her water and do the same. Dipping the beak into water over and over, giving her time to swallow will get a lot into her as often as you can today. Sprinkle chick crumbles around her feet on paper towel AFTER she has been drinking. Cocci is more common at 3 weeks and older.

 

[SuperChickRuth]

Eggcessive! We meet again! ;-)

We (I) just gave her the Nutri-Drench, right before I saw your post, and I just gave her 1 ml! And an hour before, I gave her SaveAChick water! She diffidently seems to be doing better now. I'm so relieved!

Hopefully she continues getting better. Do you think it is Cocci? And is weepy eyes a symptom? Our little Ethel has what looks like weepy eyes, and around her eyes is brownish. I'll post a picture soon.

 

[SuperChickRuth]

Was she like this when you first purchased her, or has she suddenly developed these symptoms? Is she pooping any? If so, what does her poop look like?

She could be suffering from an intestinal problem. In the past, I have had two chicks who have suffered from coccidiosis, which is a parasitical disease that attacks the wall of a chick's intestines and causes severe discomfort and bloody feces. The first chick has such a serious case that I had to give her penicillin (she made a full recovery), and the second was so mild that I merely gave her some dairy products to restore her intestinal balance (she also made a complete recovery).

If you want to, try taking her to a vet as soon as possible. Not all vets know how to treat chickens, though.

If you need penicillin, try your local feedstore or Tractor Supply Co. They usually have medicines for common livestock ailments and might have what you need.

Hope your little girl recovers.

~Gresh~

We just got her today, and the salesman just picked her and put her in the box. She was huddled in a corner, and when we took her out and placed her in the brooder, she tottered over to the heat, and stayed there, head drooping. We've given her SaveAChick with water, and Nutri-Drench, and she does look like she's doing better. Thank you soooo much for replying! Really appreciate it!

We believe in miracles, and little Ethel might be one! -I'll keep updating this thread.

~SuperChickRuth

 

[SuperChickRuth]

Pump her full of nutrients through a dropper, is what I would say!

My favorite cure for weak, unstable, chicks who aren't thriving is a solution of crumbles made into a soup with some filtered water, Nutridrench, yogurt, and a little Rooster Booster probiotics. I've even treated a Silver Penciled Wyandotte with wry neck on this stuff.

Best wishes,
~Alex

Thanks, Alexandra33!

We've given her SaveAChick electrolytes with water, and Nutri-Drench. She doesn't seem to eat/drink anything that isn't placed on her beak, is only two/three days old, and so we're being really careful about what we give her.

She diffidently looks like she's getting better!

 

[Gresh]

Glad your Ethel seems to be getting better.

I agree with Eggcessive now that I think about it. I seem to remember (though I could be wrong) reading that chicks have immunity to things like cocci for a short time after hatching (sort of like how human babies have immunity for a time after birth to some diseases their mother was immune to).

The stress of being shipped probably was too much for Ethel's body to take well. I have had chicks who have also suffered from shipping stress that have been less fortunate than she. The Save-a-Chick vitamins really help get them back in the game.

Hope she continues to improve.

 

[SuperChickRuth]

OK, well now she's walking around, and pecking, but when she pecks, she looks like a toy, and doesn't always get what she's apparently is pecking at. She arrived with brown stuff kinda crusted around her eyes, and like I said, her eyes are weepy. I realized she also doesn't seem to shut her eyelids, and I'm afraid she's blind!

I'm feeding her by mushing their medicated feed, putting it in a syringe, and placing it on her beak. I give her SaveAChick water, and Nutri-Drench in the same way. Then she swallows it. She does peck at the feed in the brooder, but like I said, she doesn't seem to know what she's pecking at.

Poor Ethel, I thought she was doing so well!!! I don't know how to help her. How can I help her???

 

[Alexandra33]

You're welcome, @SuperChickRuth ! I can't believe how silly I was not to mention Save-A-Chick.

You're doing a fabulous job of taking care of her; keep up the good work!

Try taking a look at her eyes to see if her pupils look cloudy or reflective, since is one of the classic signs of blindness. Another thing you could do is get a finger close to the side of her head to see if she responds to the movement by leaning or looking away. I've kind of learned this after one of my Barred Rocks went blind in one eye as a young chick. Please keep up updated on little Ethel, would you?

I'd love to know how she's doing!

~Alex