Chick is sick...

[lswatson111304]

Ok, so I have a chick, she is probably 2.5 weeks old. I'm not 100%. I bought her on Thursday locally from a lady. The other one I got from her is fine. This one started to act up the next day. They were outside in a brooder with plenty of heat and closed in so no breezes blowing through. A cold front blew in though, so I'm not sure if its related. Anyway, I noticed it was acting strange so I brought them all in the house. She stands around opening her mouth as if she is gasping for air. Her peeping sounds off, it is more faint, and a little drawn out. Not loud and pippy sounding. She doesn't do much. I bought save a chick and put that in the water. No change. So I bought antibiotic. Not sure if she is even old enough for it, but I don't want to lose her, she was NOT CHEAP! Still no change, she has been on the antibiotic since yesterday. I will see her act like she is eating. She scratches around and pecks at the food, but her crop never feels like it has anything in it. She feels like she is getting lighter as well. I really don't want to lose her but I don't know what else to do?
Should I do hardboiled eggs? Or poly vi sol?

ETA- so I just felt her crop, and it felt like a bubble, so I massaged, it, and air bubbles came out of her mouth. Is she swallowing air?

 

[lswatson111304]

Oh, I forgot to add that she seems to be getting pasty butt. Or something like that. She keeps having white powdery stuff stuck to her vent, so I'm assuming its poop. I have to clean it a few times a day.

 

[lswatson111304]

Nobody?

 

[klmclain1]

Let everyone get home from work and settled in - someone should have some help for you. I'm not very knowledgable about chicks.. keep her warm and quiet for now.

 

[dandydoodle]

I have had chicks do that thing with there beak ( looking like they are gasping) I don't know why. All of mine are fine and eventually they quit doing that. What symptoms is it having just the beak thing? I think I would try to take a deep breath.

I wouldn't give her any meds or anything like that. I really wouldn't massage her crop because, you don't really know anything is wrong. I personally feel if we do treatments and we aren't sure if or what is wrong with them we can make things worse. If you give a little one meds you are taking a chance that you might give it wrong and hurt them or you could give them the wrong meds.

Pasty butt is very common in babies and easily treatable. Just get luke warm water and put it in a bowl and dip a wash cloth in and gently wipe its hiney so that it comes off. I would check it a couple of times a day. It should stop happening on it own. When you do it try to not get its whole body wet, you don't want it to get a chill. Put it back under the light as quickly as possible. If it were me this is what I would do keep its hiney clean, keep it warm ( under the heat lamp ), make sure to keep water and food in there. Chances are if you do these things it will be fine. If you do these things and it doesn't make it there was probably nothing you could do. Please, don't get so scared that you do treatments and end up hurting your baby.

Update us and let us know how it does. Post pics. Try not to worry so much and walk away.

Good luck

 

[Vamvakas]

Don't want to sound mean but once chicks are sick they tend to die easy and it's hard to fix them unless your a vet or something.

 

[dandydoodle]

Are there any symptoms other then the beak thing?

 

[lswatson111304]

Well, other than not eating or drinking anymore, she won't even try. She is restless, she won't lay down and sleep. She just stands there gasping for air. She got pretty frantic tonight, but she seems to have slowed down from that. I did move her out of her current brooder and put her alone, and took away the pine shavings because I was wondering if that might be related.

 

[dandydoodle]

I might take away the pine shaving but, and bring her in if you want too. I would keep at least one chick with her though. I have had a couple of chicks born that were just not right in the past and it really seemed the company of other chicks helped. I mean it didn't make them better but, made them a lot happier. Also if it see the other chick eating and drinking it might inspire it to do the same. If keeping it warm, dry and hiney clean and giving it company doesn't help, then I would say it might have some internal deformities. Honestly if it does there really isn't much you can do about it. Just keep it as happy as possible while it is here. With its brooder mates acting normal I doubt it is sick, well the kind of sick that antibiotics would help. I might continue to give it vitamin water. I wouldn't think that could hurt anything and I have heard that if it is something caused by a vitamin deficiency sometimes it can help. Well good luck I hope she gets better. Let us know how she is doing. Do you have pics of the baby? What kind of bird is she?

Michelle

 

[lswatson111304]

Yep, here she is this morning. I was doing a photoshoot and didn't want to leave her out in case I lose her.

She is a sweetheart. Still acting the same. I don't want to put anyone in with her just in case because I'm scared to lose any of the others. Right now I have the others in the house just in case, her small dog kennel is on top of the brooder so they can hear each other. That's the best I can do. LOL She seems to have drainage from her eyes, or it looks like it. Like a wetness around them. She is still just standing around doing the same thing, but, she is alive!