Is my chick in pain?

[MasterZii]

I got a baby silkie chick, tiny little thing. Maybe 5-6 days old at the very most. It's been living in a small bin with a gosling and they've been doing great for the past couple of days.

Suddenly, the silkie just start crying out non-stop. Cheep cheep cheep cheep x400. Doesn't stop! It's usually the gosling who is very loud and the silkie is always super calm and quiet.

It's not walking around much, and kind of droops forward while chirping constantly. Could it be in pain? How can I check? What can I do to help?

(X)I tried to insert pics but they didn't show up - fixed

Tea-spoon for size reference.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Sounds like you have a sick bird. And yes, generally peeping = distress = pain.

Does her crop feel alright?
Is she eating and drinking?
Have you at any point fed treats besides starter, and if so, did you provide grit?
Doe she seem to have lost any weight?
No pasty butt?
Poop pics?
What's your brood temp and does she calm if snuggled?

 

[MasterZii]

Hello!

Yeah, everything looks and feel alright. Sometimes the silkie holds the wing out a bit to where it looks "off", but doesn't appear to be in more pain if I take a look at it.

I have been feeding them lightly moist bread, tiny diced apples, and a dry grit (but the goose always soaks it, so wet grit)

She seems about the same size, but it's hard to tell under all that fluff, and I've only had them for a few days.

No pasty butt. A bit messy sometimes but wipes right off, stool is on the liquid side.

I don't know the temp, but I have a lamp down at one end and it's a long bin. Food and water are at the colder far end. They usually prefer the middle and huddle around there because that's the "sweet spot" for them.

Yes, she usually falls right asleep if I cuddle her. Not this time, still seems very distressed. Could the gosling have hurt her? Whenever she walks away and tries to sleep, he comes over and nips at her because he wants to sleep next to her.

 

[Fishkeeper]

YOu need to go get them an actual poultry feed. Bread has 0 nutritional benefit for either of them, and apples aren't anything approaching nutritious enough. Grit isn't food, it's rocks to help them break up their food. The goose needs more niacin than the chick does, but they both need real chick feed, or they're going to suffer and die of malnutrition. Get them a real food, and don't give them bread again. Apples are okay as a treat, but treats should be, at most, 10% of the diet.

 

[MasterZii]

Okay, my bad. I will stop by the store tomorrow and get chick feed. That should be alright for the gosling as well? What can I give him that has more niacin?

 

[Fishkeeper]

The gosling needs a duckling feed, which has more niacin. Without enough niacin, his legs won't develop properly, and he'll eventually be unable to walk.

If the gosling is biting the chick, you need to separate them. Give them both a stuffed animal to cuddle, and don't let them touch each other. Possibly he's injured her, possibly she's suffering as a result of malnutrition, possibly it's something else.

Where did you get them?

 

[MasterZii]

The gosling needs a duckling feed, which has more niacin. Without enough niacin, his legs won't develop properly, and he'll eventually be unable to walk.

If the gosling is biting the chick, you need to separate them. Give them both a stuffed animal to cuddle, and don't let them touch each other. Possibly he's injured her, possibly she's suffering as a result of malnutrition, possibly it's something else.

Where did you get them?

Thank you for the advice. I will do just that.
Is there any risk to the chick eating some of the duckling feed? Is the extra niacin bad for baby chicks?

Forgot about the stuffed animal thing! Our duck LOVED stuffed animals. Thanks for the reminder!

I got these guys from a farm about ~1hr away... Couldn't help myself when I was driving by and saw a "baby chicks" sign a the side of the road.

 

[Ms Clucky]

Ya you might want to separate them.

 

[Shezadandy]

Okay, my bad. I will stop by the store tomorrow and get chick feed. That should be alright for the gosling as well? What can I give him that has more niacin?

I would recommend Purina "Flock Raiser" - it is formulated for chicks, ducks, geese etc., so they can both eat the same thing. It's 20% protein.

You might also pick up some "poultridrench" which is in a small white bottle in the poultry section- it's kind of like Gatorade for chickens- can be added to their water (directions on the bottle) and it will give her an immediate boost.

Also for the chick especially- it's hard, but no treats. They can only eat a very small amount - like literally physically can only eat so much in a day - and at this point in their growth she needs every calorie and nutrient she can get. Even just a little treat takes up space in her crop that she needs chick rocket fuel to grow. In 3-4 weeks introduce treats in very small quantities. You'll have their whole lives to spoil them rotten, I promise. Right now the right food is much much more important. I hope that doesn't come across as snarky- it's not meant to- just an urgent situation for your little one.

 

[MasterZii]

I would recommend Purina "Flock Raiser" - it is formulated for chicks, ducks, geese etc., so they can both eat the same thing. It's 20% protein.

You might also pick up some "poultridrench" which is in a small white bottle in the poultry section- it's kind of like Gatorade for chickens- can be added to their water (directions on the bottle) and it will give her an immediate boost.

Also for the chick especially- it's hard, but no treats. They can only eat a very small amount - like literally physically can only eat so much in a day - and at this point in their growth she needs every calorie and nutrient she can get. Even just a little treat takes up space in her crop that she needs chick rocket fuel to grow. In 3-4 weeks introduce treats in very small quantities. You'll have their whole lives to spoil them rotten, I promise. Right now the right food is much much more important. I hope that doesn't come across as snarky- it's not meant to- just an urgent situation for your little one.

Thank you! I ordered just that, our local store didn't have any in stock nor the "poultry drench" stuff. They advised me to make my own and I mixed some salt in warm water with a bit of molasses. I hope that's OK.

Tried giving it to my chick but she won't drink. I dipped her beak in and she licked up the water droplet on her beak but still didn't drink. I can't get her to eat either. Tried adding a bit of molasses to her feed, no luck. Even tried using a syringe/dropper to get some in her beak but I couldn't open it and didn't want to harm her. Any ideas here? I am so worried about her

She's sleeping 98% of the time. I separated her from the goose, but the gosling will not stop crying. I sear, he never sleeps. Tons of energy, jumps and runs around...