Chicken experts help! I need to know what's wrong with my baby chick!

Question

I have a group of chicks, and one of them is moving very slowly. It's feathers are all sticking out, making it look like it's really fluffy. When I pick the chick up it seems lighter then all the others, and when it's on the ground it'll walk, but won't lift it's head up very high. It's the same size as all of the other chicks, but it can't eat big food [corn, sunflower seeds, etc.] like all the others can. It will only eat the chick scratch I offer it. My dad said that it might be constipated, but I have no clue. And one good thing is that it does drink water. But please help! I don't want this little one to die!

Thanks.

Also. My adult chickens roost in pine trees we have, and three of them have mysteriously died. I live out in the county. Any idea what might've got them? A fox has been trying to kill my baby chicks, but they're on the ground, and we took care of it so that the fox can no longer get in the pen. The fox couldn't have gone up the tree and killed the older ones, could it have? I'm thinking it was maybe a possum or something. A skunk maybe?

Answer 1

I think your chick will be fine. As long as an animal is eating and drinking, it is most likely going to live. It may just be born sick. It will hopefully get healthier, but only the chick can decide to keep fighting or to give up. Some of my chicks over the years have had the same symptoms as yours, and not one has died as a chick. Just keep making sure it is eating and drinking every day.

Have the chickens been found dead? Or have they just disapeared? Because over the years chickens just go off and die or get carried away by a dog or in your case a fox. I don't think your chickens were killed by possums or skunks because I don't think they eat chickens, or at least will not go to all the trouble to climb up a tree and tackle them, and I don't think foxes can climb. Maybe they got sick and died because that happened to some of my chickens. They went all pale and made choking noises and coughed up yellow mucusy stuff and just fell from their perches dead.

I hope that your baby chicken is ok, and that no more of your chickens die. I also hope I helped a bit, and good luck!!!

Answer 2

These may help or may not but some things to check out for your baby-She could be egg bound

or crop bound

Fowlpox

Grape worm

IBD

Coryza

Leukosis virus

MDV

NDV

Necrotic Enteritis

Ulcerative Enteritis

Neither a skunk or fox went up the tree for your chickens but a ractccn will or a possom will have had both in my back yard after my hens if find hens with heads gone its a coon for sure a fox will try to get your babies by watching the coop and yards. the above is not a for sure answer to your sick chicken but might not hurt to glance at to see if any of this may be causing her to feel sick if nothing else call a vet and ask them what they think could be the problem. It woul be a good idea to place hens and roos in a coop at night so they will live mine go in every night now had 2 many dissapear

Answer 3

There was a hawk that got one of my chickens. It was a really big hawk and my chicken was a little smaller than normal chckens. The baby chicken's probably not gonna make it sounds unhealthy.