Worried about newborn chicks

[chuckachucka]

I have two bantam chicks who hatched in the incubator last night, late on day 22. I think the temperatures might have been a bit low for some of the time and they took a long time to hatch.
I set them up in the brooder before sleeping last night and they were quite drowsy but trying to stand up on their wobbly legs and cheeping a lot. This morning when I woke up I found them lying on the floor of the brooder, very quiet and unresponsive. I picked them up and they barely seemed to react, very weak and floppy, just about able to open their eyes, sometimes only one eye.
So I've been giving them sugar water every half an hour for the past three hours plus I've just given them raw egg yolk after reading it might be helpful. They have perked up a lot, but are still sleepy. Occasionally they will wobble up and look around, cheep a little, and then go back to sleep.
Is this normal behaviour for chicks who are approx 12-18 hours old? They have made no attempt to move toward the food and water bowls but do sometimes peck the ground a bit. I have sprinkled chick crumbs around them but not sure if they are eating any.
Should I be worried about them if they are not walking around at this point? Is there anything more I can do for them? And how long should I continue giving the sugar water and egg yolk?
Thanks.

 

[JedJackson]

It all sounds like perfectly normal behavior for newborn chicks. They sleep a lot, are wobbly, and don't need to eat or even drink for the first day-- the yolk they've absorbed just prior to hatching sees them through.

You may want to teach them to drink by holding one bird at a time in your gently closed hand and tipping it down so it's beak goes in the water. Watch for the bird to tilt its head back to swallow and then you will know it has had a sip and will catch on very quickly after that.

I wouldn't give raw egg yolk but cooked, either hard or soft boiled, is great to give them. They probably aren't hungry yet but it will be no time before they're eating their regular food.

If you've got the temperature right in your brooder, and it sounds like you do, then you have no reason to worry.

 

[chickens really]

Congrats on the Chicks.
Check the temp in the brooder....might be too warm or not warm enough....

 

[chuckachucka]

Thanks for the replies. The temperature is ok I think but they are still looking weak and wobbly. They are now approx 36 hours old and don't seem interested in the food or water bowls. They peck at the ground a bit but I'm not sure they are eating any of the chick crumbs I sprinkled there. They just about manage to stand on their feet for a few seconds before flopping down again. I have seen one of them poop watery stuff twice but I haven't seen the other one poop yet. I've checked for pasty butts and keep giving them sugar water every few hours.

 

[chickens really]

Clear fresh water and only dip the beak into the water bowl...Cluck and peck with your finger to stimulate them to follow and eat and drink...Your Momma...

 

[Ridgerunner]

How do you know that the temperature is OK? Have you calibrated your thermometer to make sure it is reading properly? How are you providing heat? The ideal in a brooder is to have one area warm enough and other areas cool enough so they can self-regulate their temperature. Mine are excellent straight out of the incubator at self-regulating heat when given an option. Are they as far away from the heat as they can get? From your description I don't think this is your problem, but a brooder too warm can cause them to be lethargic.

Low incubating temperatures can cause them to hatch late and be soft and mushy, not healthy. There is a pretty wide window of when they can hatch and be fine, I would not think late on day 22 would be all that late as far as health goes but maybe it is contributing. High incubating temperatures can cause lethargic chicks too but with that late hatch that's not your problem.

I don't know how long they have been in the brooder and I'll admit this is a stretch, but lack of fresh air, especially in the incubator, can cause lethargic chicks. Like you and me, they need fresh air to breathe. As big as your brooder probably is for two chicks, that should not be a problem if they have had time to recover.

Another stretch, how long had the hens been laying before you incubated the eggs. I know they are bantams and the eggs were small, that's not what I'm talking abut. The first eggs a pullet lays are usually really small compared to what she will eventually lay. I hatch pullet eggs and normally get decent hatches and healthy chicks, but it's generally best to wait a month or more after they start laying before you incubate them. Otherwise you can get weak chicks.

There are always other things that might cause weak chick. Bacteria may have gotten inside the shells at the last minute, infecting the chicks. Since it is both of them I don't think this is very likely. The health and nutrition of the flock laying the eggs can be an issue. I consider this really unlikely but who knows.

When they first hatch it's normal for them to lay round and not be real active. They crawl rather than stand up and walk. But usually by the time they dry off they stand and walk around. If it is dark they can be very quiet and still, but if they have light they can get active and loud. As old as yours are that doesn't sound normal. Sorry.

A chick does not need to eat or drink for three days or so after it hatches. It doesn't hurt them to eat or drink, it probably helps them some, but they don't need to. During the first couple of days in the brooder mine will peck some at feed and will drink some, but not much. It's usually day three or four before I notice the level of feed dropping much. My broods are usually around 20 chicks, with only two you probably won't notice much of a drop in feed or water levels.

I think you are doing what you should be doing. Keep them warm but not too warm. Have food and water available but don't expect them to eat or drink a lot just yet. That includes egg yolk, whether it is cooled or not.

The idea with the sugar water is that it should give them the energy to be more active and keep them hydrated. Since yours are still lethargic I'd probably continue it. I use a medicine dropper and put a drop at the tip oft heir beak. That way they have to work a bit to swallow it but it prevents you from drowning them by forcing liquid down their throat. Other than that I think you need to be patient. A lot of it is now up to them.
Good luck!

 

[chuckachucka]

I have a heat lamp and two thermometers, one near the lamp, and one on the far side of the box. Right near the lamp is 100 degrees, on the far side is in the high 80s so they spend most of their time in the middle areas. They are moving around and pecking at the chick crumbs a tiny bit, plus I have seen them drink water at least once, but they spend most of their time sleeping or sitting on their 'elbows'.
I've had baby chicks before but this is the first time I've had newborn chicks in a brooder and not with a mother hen. When they are with hens they usually perk up within a day or two and start coming out to eat and drink.
I'm worried because I just had one die soon after hatch with a broody after the hen squashed it with her foot because it was too weak to move. I tried to save it but it died ad I would hate for the same to happen to these chicks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, they do become precious. No arguments there.

The heat sounds great, you can't get any better in my opinion. A warm enough spot and a cool enough spot.

So they are eating and drinking some. They do rest a lot and aren't that active the first couple of days and you are still in that time frame. That you say they don't stand on their own before flopping down worries me some but I'm also wondering if the other one dying like that just has you over-worried.

I still suggest patience.

 

[lazy gardener]

I'd decrease the temp under the heat lamp just a bit, but as RR says, they do have a lower end. Wishing you the best with them. All my chicks get Poultry Nutri-Drench for the first 2 weeks, no matter what their condition.

 

[chuckachucka]

yes I think I'm worrying much more because of the death of the other chick last week. They seem weaker than ideal but they are definitely slowly improving so hopefully they will be ok. This is Button: