lethargic chick, can't keep head up, what am I doing wrong ?

[Apolinne]

Hello friends,

Please help. What temperature should there be under a heating plate for 5 day old chabo chicks ? (My first time raising bantams)

Here's what's going on: I brought home some Japanese bantam chicks yesterday. They were fine, didn't eat much, or drink much water, I figured they were scared of the new place and all, and decided to just leave them be, so they can get used to things. Yesterday evening one had some poop stuck to her feathers, not pasty butt, just some mess. I cleaned her, didn't make much of it. They have a heating plate in the brooder. They stayed under it most of the time and were quiet, so I thought they are ok. Today they ate well, and I saw them drink some water, again they didn't want to leave the heat plate, so I put the food and water close to it. This evening I found one of them( the one with mess on her butt) on the very edge of the heating plate with its head down, looking like she was very tired, and couldn't hold her head up. The other two babies were ok otherwise, but everyone had poop stuck around their vents. They seemed to me to be breathing a bit more heavily.
I figured they are overheated, or dehydrated. I measured the temp under the heating plate and it was around 35,7. I cleaned everybody up, gave them 2 - 3 drops of water with poultry vitamins each and lifted the heating plate so that it was 34,5 degrees celsius under it - they did not like it, where they were previously quiet, now they kept chirping and chirping, until I lowered the plate back down. What am I doing wrong ? They are so very small, I feel like anything I do can do more harm than good.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I figured they are overheated, or dehydrated. I measured the temp under the heating plate and it was around 35,7. I cleaned everybody up, gave them 2 - 3 drops of water with poultry vitamins each and lifted the heating plate so that it was 34,5 degrees celsius under it - they did not like it, where they were previously quiet, now they kept chirping and chirping, until I lowered the plate back down. What am I doing wrong ?

Can you post photos of the chicks and brooder?

What is the temperature on the cool side of the brooder?

I'd continue to give them the poultry vitamins for a few days.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hello friends,

Please help. What temperature should there be under a heating plate for 5 day old chabo chicks ? (My first time raising bantams)

Here's what's going on: I brought home some Japanese bantam chicks yesterday. They were fine, didn't eat much, or drink much water, I figured they were scared of the new place and all, and decided to just leave them be, so they can get used to things. Yesterday evening one had some poop stuck to her feathers, not pasty butt, just some mess. I cleaned her, didn't make much of it. They have a heating plate in the brooder. They stayed under it most of the time and were quiet, so I thought they are ok. Today they ate well, and I saw them drink some water, again they didn't want to leave the heat plate, so I put the food and water close to it. This evening I found one of them( the one with mess on her butt) on the very edge of the heating plate with its head down, looking like she was very tired, and couldn't hold her head up. The other two babies were ok otherwise, but everyone had poop stuck around their vents. They seemed to me to be breathing a bit more heavily.
I figured they are overheated, or dehydrated. I measured the temp under the heating plate and it was around 35,7. I cleaned everybody up, gave them 2 - 3 drops of water with poultry vitamins each and lifted the heating plate so that it was 34,5 degrees celsius under it - they did not like it, where they were previously quiet, now they kept chirping and chirping, until I lowered the plate back down. What am I doing wrong ? They are so very small, I feel like anything I do can do more harm than good.

At five days old, they'll still sleep a lot, and with their heads on the ground, so that may not mean anything with that one.

What I'd think is the same thing, that they were too warm. That little difference you changed it to, they shouldn't have even noticed. In a couple of days, they should be getting 32C.

Try wetting some of their chick crumble. I use plastic peanut butter jar lids, fill it with crumbles, sprinkle water on until soaked, and set it in the brooder. They'll usually go nuts over it and you should see a little more action out of them. That helps hydrate them too.

 

[ChookyChooks&Turklets2]

Not bantams, but I tried brooding standard chicks with a brooding plate and it didn’t go well for me. The temperature can be uneven (think warmest in the center), the ambient air temp can be too low, and some or most chicks will choose warm over eating and drinking enough.

For mine I had to hand feed and baby the majority of them until I gave up on the plate and got a heat lamp; it was like night and day! Happy peeps, more active, and no more syringes needed. I don’t have a ton of experience with brooder plates (and I know many say they’re a horrible option anyway), but from what I read in your post, I think you’re having the same problem I was having. I’d definitely like to see your set up, it could be something else too!

 

[Apolinne]

Hello again everyone, thank you for your time,

so the sick baby (I've been calling her squiggle) is definitely more active then yesterday, but something is wrong. No poop stuck to anyone this morning. Everyone is eating, running around a bit, but squiggle has a hard time keeping her head up, and she sort of walks backwards, or does like rolls when she's trying to walk I guess. But she is eating. Didn't see her drink tho, but I gave her couple of drops in the morning. Also she keeps chirping, not super loud or scared, just quiet little chirps.

I set up the heating lamp, waiting for it to come to temp., we'll see if that helps. I'm confused honestly, because the two other chicks seem ok, but they kind of huddle under the plate, which is weird because I lowered it down last night, when it was up they kept peeping like crazy. So are they cold ? Are they hot ? Are they scared ? I don't know what's happening.

- squiggle walking backwards

- squiggle rolls

 

[ChookyChooks&Turklets2]

They seem to be doing okay with the brooder plate, but the rolling and head position are super odd. Makes me thing vitamin issue, or maybe a genetic weirdness? Almost like wry neck, but I’ve never seen it in a chick so small.

Maybe a little mash/scrambled egg? Poor chick at least looks like they’d have a hard time not flopping while eating or drinking.

What breed are they? Are they from a store, or were they shipped? Hatched at home?

What are your temps running, hot side/cool side?

 

[ChookyChooks&Turklets2]

They seem to be doing okay with the brooder plate, but the rolling and head position are super odd. Makes me thing vitamin issue, or maybe a genetic weirdness? Almost like wry neck, but I’ve never seen it in a chick so small.

Maybe a little mash/scrambled egg? Poor chick at least looks like they’d have a hard time not flopping while eating or drinking.

What breed are they? Are they from a store, or were they shipped? Hatched at home?

What are your temps running, hot side/cool side?

The lamp will help make sure they can get to heat easier, which should help squiggle stay warm while “squiggling” about! Hopefully it comes up to temp soon

 

[Apolinne]

They seem to be doing okay with the brooder plate, but the rolling and head position are super odd. Makes me thing vitamin issue, or maybe a genetic weirdness? Almost like wry neck, but I’ve never seen it in a chick so small.

Maybe a little mash/scrambled egg? Poor chick at least looks like they’d have a hard time not flopping while eating or drinking.

What breed are they? Are they from a store, or were they shipped? Hatched at home?

What are your temps running, hot side/cool side?

They are Japanese Bantams, Chabos and I got them from a reputable breeder with good recommendations. They were all completely normal when I got them, just a bit spooked, you know. Only next day in the afternoon/ evening I noticed something was wrong with Squiggles.
Today they are 7 days old, and I think squiggles is slowly improving, maybe the vitamins are helping.

I've been giving them hard boiled egg, they love it, it's always gone first, and soaked crushed up crumble, like @Debbie292d said, they ate a nice chunk of that too. And poultry vitamins in the water.
Now they're under the heat lamp, they did not like the change, and not having anything above them, but calmed down after a while. I measured the temp. at 35,5°C with a laser thermometer, but regular ambient temperature thermometer said 32°C . The room temp in the room is 22°C, I lifted the lamp a bit higher and now we're at 34,3°C and the chicks are chirping but just super quietly.
I wonder if I should maybe put some sort of canopy over them, or maybe a cardboard box with cut out sides, so they have a place to hide, and feel safe.

 

[ChookyChooks&Turklets2]

True, they might appreciate the opportunity to hunker down with a box hut, or somewhere to practice perching.

It’s possible squiggles was just missing a little vitamins from hatching and the new move. They seem like a skittish breed, but very neat! If they’re improving, it could be resolving, and I’m sure they’re well looked out for should it return with a vengeance. Good luck and I hope you can post updates as they get bigger!

 

[Apolinne]

At five days old, they'll still sleep a lot, and with their heads on the ground, so that may not mean anything with that one.

What I'd think is the same thing, that they were too warm. That little difference you changed it to, they shouldn't have even noticed. In a couple of days, they should be getting 32C.

Try wetting some of their chick crumble. I use plastic peanut butter jar lids, fill it with crumbles, sprinkle water on until soaked, and set it in the brooder. They'll usually go nuts over it and you should see a little more action out of them. That helps hydrate them too.

I've seen chicks sleep lying down with their head on the floor and stretched legs, but never like this one, bent over, with her head upside-down. But she's getting better.

I gave them the chick crumble with the vitamin water, like you said, they ate about half of that. They are eating and drinking fine, which gives me hope for Squiggle but they keep chirping and chirping, even under the heat lamp now, Squiggle chirps the most, sometimes loudly, like she's in pain or scared. But then she just runs to the feed bowl and eats.
Hopefully she'll be even better tomorrow.