Lethargic chick won’t eat

[axg17]

One of the things that needs to be monitored here is how the crop is behaving. In the evening, just before their bedtime, a chick's crop should be mostly full. It will feel a little firm, but can be "squished". Think of a dough ball like you're baking cookies or firmer - that sort of consistency, and you should be able to feel it through her crop skin. That crop should be empty or nearly empty by morning. If it's not, then you're likely dealing with an impacted crop.

Since this has been going on a few days, try to sniff and smell around her mouth. If it smells foul (like rotting food), then she might also be dealing with sour crop from not being able to pass the food through her digestive tract. In either case, below is a link to a good step-by-step walkthrough on how to deal with the impacted crop. There's a second video that shows how to give her liquids - sounds like if she's gurgling that you might not be hitting the right spot. In any case, if you're "watering" her with a syringe or eye-dropper, be SURE you're in the right spot to administer the liquids. If you're unsure, DO NOT PROCEED AND PUSH THE PLUNGER OR SQUEEZE THE DROPPER! Remove the syringe/dropper from the mouth, and start again. You do not want to aspirate the chick.

Back to the crop: It's VERY important that you check her crop first thing in the morning. Again, it should be empty or nearly empty. During the day, give her some water with a bit of mineral oil and massage the crop to try to break up the blockage and get things moving.

Here's the first video on impacted crop and solutions:
https://thegreenestacre.com/impacted-crop-signs-and-how-to-treat/

Here's a better video than the first on administering liquids. Forgive me for the video a few posts back as I missed that you're dealing with a week-old chick, which requires a bit more finesse since they're so little. Pay special attention to the anatomy of the chicken mouth in the last photo before the comments, but read the page:
https://bitchinchickens.com/2020/02/06/how-to-safely-give-oral-medications/

Hi, I checked her crop this morning and it had completely gone down, so I have come to the conclusion that it is not impacted/sour, but I will continue to check every morning.
My poultry nutri drench has not arrived yet, so I have been giving her the Nex Tex Nutri drops. Yesterday they gave her a lot of energy and she started eating. Today she did not want to eat after having the drops, but I think it was because she was cold, so I have put her back under the heat lamp.

I noticed that she was shaking briefly before and whilst pooping, and I was wondering if this is alright. She doesnt seem to be in any pain before or after, but I want to check if this is normal, or if the drops are too hard on her stomach.

Also, when she was standing and leaning her head on my hand, I noticed that she kept lifting one leg up (switching legs) and was wondering if that could mean anything in regards to her needing the toilet, or if it’s simply a matter of being tired/unbalanced.

Finally, her eyes are watery, as they usually are, but more so today. They are not dripping or bubbling. I know that this is just a sign that she is unwell, but is there anything I can do to reduce the water?

Thank you

 

[Swbertrand1]

Hi, I checked her crop this morning and it had completely gone down, so I have come to the conclusion that it is not impacted/sour, but I will continue to check every morning.
My poultry nutri drench has not arrived yet, so I have been giving her the Nex Tex Nutri drops. Yesterday they gave her a lot of energy and she started eating. Today she did not want to eat after having the drops, but I think it was because she was cold, so I have put her back under the heat lamp.

I noticed that she was shaking briefly before and whilst pooping, and I was wondering if this is alright. She doesnt seem to be in any pain before or after, but I want to check if this is normal, or if the drops are too hard on her stomach.

Also, when she was standing and leaning her head on my hand, I noticed that she kept lifting one leg up (switching legs) and was wondering if that could mean anything in regards to her needing the toilet, or if it’s simply a matter of being tired/unbalanced.

Finally, her eyes are watery, as they usually are, but more so today. They are not dripping or bubbling. I know that this is just a sign that she is unwell, but is there anything I can do to reduce the water?

Thank you

That's good news that her crop is not impacted. She's a week old, so the temperature in her brooder, wherever it is, should be about 85-90 degrees going into her second week. That could be the reason for her shaking, that she's cold. It could also cause her to get ill since she's just starting to develop.

Is the teary eye fluid clear and thin versus thick and/or mucous like?

What is the temperature in her brooder?

Also, I'm concerned that she's not getting enough nutrients from the seed mix. What are you feeding the chicks? I scrolled back but could not find that information... One of my replies to you mentioned a mix of Starter Feed, Yogurt, etc. The Starter Feed is important because it is engineered to give a growing chick all the nutrients and protein that they require for healthy development. The additional vitamins that you'll find in products like Nutri-Drench are for those chicks that need an extra boost for one reason or another.

 

[Swbertrand1]

If you can, post some photos of the watery eyes. Do they look swollen, crusty at all, and/or do you see any fluid running from her nose? You've mentioned a gurgling sound when she drinks, so I'm wondering if you might be dealing with a respiratory infection...
https://poultrykeeper.com/respiratory-problems/respiratory-disease-in-chickens/

 

[axg17]

Hi, her heat lamp is at 86 degrees. She only shakes when she is relieving herself and it’s big (not all the time).
She has been lethargic since she was born, but today I have noticed she is opening her eyes properly and wide, which makes me think she might be getting more energy.
The water in her eyes is very thin- it’s not dripping or anything; it sort of looks like if a person had watery eyes. In the photo she was sleepy which is why her eyes are not fully open. They don’t look swollen or crusty to me and her nose does not have any fluid- but I did notice something dry on it earlier, but she may have just needed a wipe.

We are feeding her starter feed with a bit of water, as she will not eat it by itself. We are also going to give her some feed and yogurt in a little while. She had egg yolk the other day but did not seem to like the mess it made, so we have not given it to her since as we do not want to stress her out.
The Nutri drops we are using seem to be giving her a lot more energy, but today she did not eat as much as yesterday after having them. Also, after eating should we be letting her rest or letting her walk around- which is better for digestion? If we leave her to rest she goes straight to sleep.

 

[Swbertrand1]

Look at that little sweetie!

Your temperature seems good. I'm glad to hear she's showing more energy too. I'm kindof coming to the conclusion that this might simply be a nutrition issue, something that's not at all uncommon in young chicks

I'd feed her as often as she'll eat, at least 4 times per day, as many as 6 or 8 if you can pull it off. Baby chicks need LOTS of nutrients as they experience explosive growth in their first few months of life, and they process food through their systems VERY quickly.

Try to mix some Starter Feed with Yogurt and add a couple (2-3) drops of vitamins to that mix for each feeding. Mixing some fried or boiled egg yolk into the mix will only help her, so add it if you'd like. Try to make sure she eats all of what you're offering - she should be able to eat about 3-4 pea-sized portions at each feeding. Make sure she gets about .25ml of water with each feeding too.

I'm curious about the vitamins you're using: what vitamin(s) are you administering? Are they solid or liquid?

 

[axg17]

Look at that little sweetie!

Your temperature seems good. I'm glad to hear she's showing more energy too. I'm kindof coming to the conclusion that this might simply be a nutrition issue, something that's not at all uncommon in young chicks

I'd feed her as often as she'll eat, at least 4 times per day, as many as 6 or 8 if you can pull it off. Baby chicks need LOTS of nutrients as they experience explosive growth in their first few months of life, and they process food through their systems VERY quickly.

Try to mix some Starter Feed with Yogurt and add a couple (2-3) drops of vitamins to that mix for each feeding. Mixing some fried or boiled egg yolk into the mix will only help her, so add it if you'd like. Try to make sure she eats all of what you're offering - she should be able to eat about 3-4 pea-sized portions at each feeding. Make sure she gets about .25ml of water with each feeding too.

I'm curious about the vitamins you're using: what vitamin(s) are you administering? Are they solid or liquid?

Thank you so much that’s so helpful. I also think that maybe she’s lethargic because of her splay leg- she’s not getting enough energy from food so walking could be tiring her and making her sleepy. We will try to get her to eat as much as possible tomorrow (she is asleep now because it’s midnight where we are).
When we leave her alone, she pretty much sleeps through the night. She wakes up and then falls asleep again- would you recommend feeding her when she wakes up or only doing it during the day? Because if I feed her during the night her crop will not be empty by morning.
The vitamins we are giving her are liquid drops.

 

[axg17]

Thank you so much that’s so helpful. I also think that maybe she’s lethargic because of her splay leg- she’s not getting enough energy from food so walking could be tiring her and making her sleepy. We will try to get her to eat as much as possible tomorrow (she is asleep now because it’s midnight where we are).
When we leave her alone, she pretty much sleeps through the night. She wakes up and then falls asleep again- would you recommend feeding her when she wakes up or only doing it during the day? Because if I feed her during the night her crop will not be empty by morning.
The vitamins we are giving her are liquid drops.

Also, what kind of yogurt do you recommend? I have read online that Greek Yogurt is good but are there any that you recommend?

 

[Swbertrand1]

Yes, one condition can exacerbate another: i.e. lack of nutrition can make getting over splayed leg more difficult because she doesn't have the strength to work those leg muscles.

Let her sleep overnight; feed her during the day so that she's in a more natural feeding rhythm. Any kind of human yogurt is fine. We happen to use Activia's mixed-berry flavor, and our chicks LOVE it. The vitamins you're giving look good. About 2-3 drops mixed with the little bit of mash you make would be sufficient for a week old chick at each feeding. Don't forget to give her a little water with each feeding too

One last thing about the brooder: make sure that she can get PLENTY of traction on whatever is on the brooder floor. This will help her to steady herself and strengthen her leg muscles in the coming days/weeks.

I'm hopeful that she continues to improve, and I think you're likely to see her steadily get better with each day

 

[axg17]

Yes, one condition can exacerbate another: i.e. lack of nutrition can make getting over splayed leg more difficult because she doesn't have the strength to work those leg muscles.

Let her sleep overnight; feed her during the day so that she's in a more natural feeding rhythm. Any kind of human yogurt is fine. We happen to use Activia's mixed-berry flavor, and our chicks LOVE it. The vitamins you're giving look good. About 2-3 drops mixed with the little bit of mash you make would be sufficient for a week old chick at each feeding. Don't forget to give her a little water with each feeding too

One last thing about the brooder: make sure that she can get PLENTY of traction on whatever is on the brooder floor. This will help her to steady herself and strengthen her leg muscles in the coming days/weeks.

I'm hopeful that she continues to improve, and I think you're likely to see her steadily get better with each day

Hi, I want to thank you for all your advice; me and my family are extremely grateful that you came across my post here and were able to give us so much hope. Unfortunately, our little darling passed away this morning as she was very weak when she woke up. I agree with you and I do think that if we had been able to follow your guidance with feeding her she would have made a recovery, but sadly she was too weak to drink water, stand up, or even to hold her own head up this morning. Once again, I really appreciate all that you did for her. Hopefully now she can rest peacefully, pain-free.

 

[Swbertrand1]

:-(