Newly hatched chick abandoned by its mother; can't stand. I don't know what to do :'(

[laila143]

Please please help me. I posted earlier about my two hens hatching a dozen fertile eggs I bought. I saw a chick zipping last night. When I came home about 2 hours ago, I saw its mother had totally abandoned it and it was lying flat in the nest. I thought it was dead but it was still breathing and chirping loudly! It had a lot of its shell and yolk still stuck to it though - with all the alfalfa from the nest making it all matted. I took a warm wet paper towel and was able to gently peel off the matted shell and alfalfa.

I tried desperately to get either one of the mother hens to take this poor chick but neither seemed to care. They just looked at it and then panicked, and I think they might have STEPPED on it even more. I'm so sad I want to cry. So now I took it in my garage and filled a hot water bottle. I don't have an incubator or a heat lamp. What should I do? Why can't this chick walk? Is it because it just hatched and it's still weak? He/she is still chirping loudly. It was opening its eyes earlier when I tried to get the mother to take it but now it's not opening its eyes.

I read on here that somebody said put it in a sock to prop it up. What can I do to save this chick now? I only have human electrolyte packets. Can I give this to it? Should I go to Petco and buy something ? A heat lamp?? Please please help me.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Please please help me. I posted earlier about my two hens hatching a dozen fertile eggs I bought. I saw a chick zipping last night. When I came home about 2 hours ago, I saw its mother had totally abandoned it and it was lying flat in the nest. I thought it was dead but it was still breathing and chirping loudly! It had a lot of its shell and yolk still stuck to it though - with all the alfalfa from the nest making it all matted. I took a warm wet paper towel and was able to gently peel off the matted shell and alfalfa.

I tried desperately to get either one of the mother hens to take this poor chick but neither seemed to care. They just looked at it and then panicked, and I think they might have STEPPED on it even more. I'm so sad I want to cry. So now I took it in my garage and filled a hot water bottle. I don't have an incubator or a heat lamp. What should I do? Why can't this chick walk? Is it because it just hatched and it's still weak? He/she is still chirping loudly. It was opening its eyes earlier when I tried to get the mother to take it but now it's not opening its eyes.

I read on here that somebody said put it in a sock to prop it up. What can I do to save this chick now? I only have human electrolyte packets. Can I give this to it? Should I go to Petco and buy something ? A heat lamp?? Please please help me.

Sometimes, chicks are so exhausted from the hatching process, it takes hours for them to be able to be up and around. With weak chicks, I provide a vitamin/electrolyte supplement like Sav-A-Chick or Poultry Nutri Drench (and the water will also help hydrate them). Even sugar water can help in a pinch.

This thread has some information you may find helpful: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/367608/how-i-help-weak-baby-chicks-to-survive-hope-it-is-helpful. A heat source (can be a heat lamp, a brooder plate, or something like a "mama heating pad") will be needed for the chick's long-term comfort.

It's clear that you've tried to help the little one - I hope your chick is doing better now under your care.

 

[laila143]

Thanks so much for replying. I slept in the same room as the chick last night and she chirped all night. Figuring she was lonely, I brought in one of her siblings this morning. She's much quieter now. But seems to be sleeping most of the time. She can kind of stumble around now. But now it looks like a different problem -- her head/neck. I've seen her raise her head up, but most of the time it looks as if her neck and head are weighing her down if that makes sense? So she just plops down and sleeps.

After some reading I think it *may* be wry neck, so I just bought some Poly Vi Sol and will be feeding her that and some Vitamin E + Selenium.

Another question - as for the other healthy chick that I placed in the brooder with her, I noticed bugs crawling on it. Oh dear. Just seems like everything is going wrong!! When I killed two of them and they definitely look like Poultry Lice. I went to the feed store and they gave me Poultry Dust with Permethrin.. Is it safe to use on such young chicks? I know the chick probably got the poultry lice from its mom.