Well ... I'm afraid I lost the one I was worried about. I still don't know what was wrong with him. He just seemed to have legs too long, and was unsteady, then fell in the water, and went downhill from there.
The original "flopper" I wrote about seems fine for the past some hours.
I've added another one to the "hospital" because he has a bare red spot on one shoulder that I guess the others picked on him. He seems fine otherwise.
My little banty though ... I hope it will be ok. It's a buff Japanese bantam. My only one. He's very active, eating food and drinking water and moving around. I have plain tap water and a weak electrolyte solution with tap water in the "hospital" cage, a lamp overhead, and a heating pad under 1/2 of the aquarium.
The problem with the banty is that his back end looks unfeathered, and wet. Actually, the feathers are looking a bit better. He preens them a lot. But he's still wet in back, and when I pick him up my hands get wet and get poop on them. He's red back there too, and there's a tiny little bump poking out. It looks like a tiny worm that moves out when he peeps, but I'm pretty sure it's part of him. He doesn't seem bothered by all this, but the others were pecking at his hind end so I took him into the cage with the sick ones.
He seems happy except for "social issues." He was crying like a cold chick, but he wasn't cold. I finally figured out that he wants company. If I hold him in both hands, he's very content. If one of the other chicks let him climb underneath, he was content. Otherwise he cried constantly. I've put a stuffed animal in there, and he has the other two chicks, so now he seems very content. I guess that was finally "enough company."
Right now I'm just keeping him warm and making sure he's drinking, which he is. I don't know what "pasted up" looks like, but I thought it might be that. I can't find any photos. It seems the poop *dries* on them though? He's not dry, he's wet. Although it might dry and become that. I will watch carefully.
Still checking the other babies every hour or so, at least. So far I have had to pull the 4 for various reasons, and lost the 1.
It was hard to pick him up and find that he had died in the sock. I still don't know why. I so much hope I don't lose any others.
We got 4 ducklings in March, and except for a scare that turned out to be nothing, I've not had to worry about them. Out of 27 chicks, I've lost one and am watching 3 more now. I guess after the hardiness of the ducklings I wasn't completely prepared for the fragility of the chicks?
Rambling now, sorry ... but if anyone can tell me anything at all about the wet bottom, I'd appreciate it. All the details of their age and care so far are in the other post called "baby chick flopping" ... I just didn't want to repeat it here to keep this from being any longer than it already is.
Thanks,
trish
The original "flopper" I wrote about seems fine for the past some hours.
I've added another one to the "hospital" because he has a bare red spot on one shoulder that I guess the others picked on him. He seems fine otherwise.
My little banty though ... I hope it will be ok. It's a buff Japanese bantam. My only one. He's very active, eating food and drinking water and moving around. I have plain tap water and a weak electrolyte solution with tap water in the "hospital" cage, a lamp overhead, and a heating pad under 1/2 of the aquarium.
The problem with the banty is that his back end looks unfeathered, and wet. Actually, the feathers are looking a bit better. He preens them a lot. But he's still wet in back, and when I pick him up my hands get wet and get poop on them. He's red back there too, and there's a tiny little bump poking out. It looks like a tiny worm that moves out when he peeps, but I'm pretty sure it's part of him. He doesn't seem bothered by all this, but the others were pecking at his hind end so I took him into the cage with the sick ones.
He seems happy except for "social issues." He was crying like a cold chick, but he wasn't cold. I finally figured out that he wants company. If I hold him in both hands, he's very content. If one of the other chicks let him climb underneath, he was content. Otherwise he cried constantly. I've put a stuffed animal in there, and he has the other two chicks, so now he seems very content. I guess that was finally "enough company."
Right now I'm just keeping him warm and making sure he's drinking, which he is. I don't know what "pasted up" looks like, but I thought it might be that. I can't find any photos. It seems the poop *dries* on them though? He's not dry, he's wet. Although it might dry and become that. I will watch carefully.
Still checking the other babies every hour or so, at least. So far I have had to pull the 4 for various reasons, and lost the 1.
We got 4 ducklings in March, and except for a scare that turned out to be nothing, I've not had to worry about them. Out of 27 chicks, I've lost one and am watching 3 more now. I guess after the hardiness of the ducklings I wasn't completely prepared for the fragility of the chicks?
Rambling now, sorry ... but if anyone can tell me anything at all about the wet bottom, I'd appreciate it. All the details of their age and care so far are in the other post called "baby chick flopping" ... I just didn't want to repeat it here to keep this from being any longer than it already is.
Thanks,
trish
