I have a 2-day old chick. The mother was being interrupted by other hens jumping into her laying box and they killed two of the other chicks so when I noticed the pipping in an egg I removed it from the nest and removed the chick from the shell and have tried to keep it alive. I have been keeping it under a light and have fed it through a dropper a mixture of water and chick starter. It seemed to being doing great until today,when it did not want to eat or drink, only sleep. I noticed a bulge under the right side of its neck. My husband applied a small amount of pressure thinking it may be an air bubble, and mucus the color of his food came up. Have I overfed him? Or did I maybe cause damage when I removed him from the egg? Please help!!!
Alert! A 2-day chick needs no food at all unless it wants it--DO NOT FORCE FEED A CHICK! The bulge was its full crop and you caused it to reguritate. So don't feed your chick!!!!! Place some chick starter on a paper towel for his bedding in a small box. The chick will peck at it and eat when it is hungry. The egg yolk it developed from, is still inside and nourishing the chick for several days. Temperature at his shoulder, 95f for about a week!!! Use a thermometer to check. Too hot or too cold is HARMFUL. Then drop it about 5 degrees a week until the chick is well feathered and temperature is warm, expecially at night. Water should also be in front--chick will drink when thirsty, a jar lid will do for a while. You can tap your finger in the chick starter and dip you finger in the water to show the chick the food--but let it eat by itself. Chicks begin to eat vigorously in a few days to a week and they really start to grow! Yes, you have overfed him and I hope you have left him alone or he will succumb. Instinct rules! If he is warm and not hungry or thirsty, he will not peep or cry. Are there any more chicks due? If not, tape a small mirror inside his box and he will not feel lonely, but will bond with his image! Other hens should not be allowed to get into a box with a setting hen--she should be removed to hatch her brood in seclusion. We learn, sometimes a hard way and each time it gets easier! Good luck, CJR
By Cjeanr on Saturday, June 26, 1999 - 12:30 am: