Is my chick sleeping or dying?

[Chioko]

Uh, I guess hello? I'm new in here and I don't know how this site works or how to ask a question in the net. Or if I put this in the right thread.

Today my friend's mother gave me a green coloured chick and it was totally normal...I think. It was standing still and I'm not sure if it walked because I was busy doing my school works. I came back and checked on it after about one hour and it was just laying down. I got really surprised because I thought it died, it looked like it was dead but when I checked again it was breathing. I tried to see if it was just sleeping but I just don't know how chicks look when they sleep. I got really worried and tried to make it stand and it won't. I fed it some rice but I still didn't try making it drink water. This is my first time taking care of a chick and I don't know anything about it. (I also don't know it's gender nor it's age)
Please help me if you can. [sorry if it's not clear]

 

[chasiekitten12]

Hi and

!!!!!!
Well I would LOVE to have a picture of the chick. Also have you ever raised chicks before and is this the only one of the batch?
Has it eaten or drank any? Write back!

 

[Chioko]

Hi and  !!!!!!    
Well I would LOVE to have a picture of the chick. Also have you ever raised chicks before and is this the only one of the batch?
Has it eaten or drank any? Write back!

Thanks! And this is the first time I try to raise one and I actually wasn't planning to but my friend forced me. I just checked on it again and it started opening it's mouth and closing it. Is it because its thirsty? It didn't eat anything or drink anything. I tried to feed it some rice but it didn't eat, as it was not even moving. Also I only have this one

 

[Chioko]

 

[azygous]

It does appear your little chick is very sick. Prepare yourself for it not making it.

It probably is much too weak at this point to drink on its own. So you need to try to get some water into it. Do this by dipping your finger into warm water with a little sugar mixed in and dribble the water against the side of its beak. If it has the strength, it will lap up the water on its beak.

Do this as often as you can. Water is the most important thing right now.

Forget the rice. It won't help. If it regains its strength, it will need some special chick food that you buy at a farm store or pet store.

Also, you need to keep your chick warm. If you can wrap a scarf around your neck and place the chick in a fold of it against your throat. This will keep it at the right temperature. Chicks will die if they get too cold because they don't get the feathers to keep them warm for another month or more.

Keep letting us know what's happening and we'll try to keep helping.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Are you using any heat? At few days old they like 90F. Use a thermometer to check heat under light and make it has space in box/brooder to move away from it if it gets too warm.

You should have chick starter for feed and dip it's beak in water to ensure it drinks. Once they know where and what the water is they'll go back for more. It's hard to tell if it's cold, hot or needing food and water without more info.

When too hot they are lathargic. Too cold they chirp a lot and loudly though yours would be doing this as a lone chick anyway. You can put a small stuffed animal in with it for comfort but it should really have a brooder mate or two. They will be active and suddenly flop on side to sleep that's normal. Eat, run, sleep is all they do in the beginning.

Tell us what you have to brood it and feed it. And update soon how it's behaving.

 

[nj2wv]

Baby chicks need to be kept warm. Their brooder should be 95 degrees F. When you get them dip their beak in water so they learn to drink. Usually when you pick up a sleeping chick it will try to escape. If it just lays there then it is probably dying. You can try putting a pinch of sugar in the water to give it some energy and welcome to BYC.

 

[Chioko]

Oh gods I think it died. I've never been so afraid like this from forever! I tried giving it some water and it actually drank! I thought it would get better! I was really happy but then suddenly when I'm giving it water it started moving like it's trying to kick something, it was just so scary. I couldn't stop myself from not giving it water because I thought it will die if I stop. I just really wanted to ask you guys what to do but I was panicking so I couldn't think straight. Now when I look closely it's eyes are a little open @azygous @Egghead_Jr

 

[azygous]

Are you in Japan? It appears your friend got the chick from a street vendor who didn't understand anything about chicks so the people who bought the chicks didn't know how to take care of them.

Your chick appears to have been just a few days old, and during the first week, they need to be kept at 32-38C which is a lot warmer than room temperature. It could have died from being too cold, and it was probably dehydrated. too. By the time your friend gave it to you, it really didn't stand a chance.

The kicking your chick did was probably death throes. I'm so sorry.

 

[Chioko]

Thanks, I'm really glad I talked to you. I'm really relieved now to know that it wasn't my fault that it died. Tomorrow I will try to talk about it to my friend and would tell her to stop buying chicks if she doesn't know how to raise them and force the chick on me using her mother. Either way, I'm very grateful for what you did and next time when I do want to raise a chick I will definitely ask your help again!

Oh, I was very surprised when you mentioned Japan. I couldn't understand how you knew it until I saw my name. @azygous