Hi, I am new to this site and chickens. I purchased a baby chick from a local feed shop last week. I looked over the chick before purchasing it and it seemed fine, but it was very loud in the shop. When we were on the way home we noticed it had a wheezy cough and was laboring to breath. Of course the feed shop doesn't have a guarantee on their live animals so there was nothing we could do. We didn't think it was going to make it through the night, but it did. It has now been 6 days and it doesn't seem to be coughing anymore, but now it almost has a clicking sound when it breaths. I can't figure out what this might be. Does anyone have any ideas or recommendations on what I should do or for someone I can take it to?
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Add a little apple cider vinegar to the water.
(only the good, unfiltered kind like they have at Trader Joe's)
The chick isn't anything special it's just that these are my first set of chicks, and I don't know if I have it in me to cull a chicken yet. I thought I would see what people with more experience thought, and if it is something the chick could come back from I might give it some more time. I know this is something I will have to eventually do, but right now it would be hard for me. Thanks for your input it shows me that I really will need to develop a thick skin. Here's hoping.
I don't have thick skin. I do everything I can to save a chick/chicken (short of a vet visit).
I brought a hen back from near death and she is laying almost every day for me again.
:-)
She has a respiratory infection most likely. I have the same thing going on with a Sicilian Buttercup from the Feed Barn. Keep it warm at 90 degrees under a heat lamp with a thermometer (I have mine in the laundry room for diligent watching). I was going to separate it from the rest but I found it to be too stressful on the sick one so I kept them together. I am giving her Solumet (antibiotic from Feed Barn) and Chicken Electrolytes. 2 days on this treatment and she is much better. Her weight is up and I am not convinced she is going to die and I have lost a lot of chickens.
Best of luck,
Susan
Thanks Susan! I figured it was something like this, but being new to this whole thing I didn't want to just go of my assumptions. I do have her separated right now. Do you think the others will catch it if I put them together? She seems really lonely and I worry about her. I have already given her 5 days of the Electrolytes and the package said to only give between 1-5 days. If I continue giving it to her will it be ok?