SOS - 6 wk old pullet beat up and unconscious - what should i do???

[amysflock]

My chicks killed one EE pullet, pecked another to unconsciousness, and have pecked a bit on two others. I'll go pull the other two right now and set them up in isolation, but what can I do for the unconscious EE on my lap???

It's hot here, I had her in a lukewarm bath to cool off, eyes are closed but she will kick a bit if I lift her up or move her. Not sure when this happened (sometime either last night or today) so don't know when she last had water.

HELP!!!!

 

[freemotion]

Stupid chicks!!!! I wish I had an answer, all I have is

I have a chick in a cat carrier right now, while its pecked head heals up. Six chicks in a pen about 16' x 24' so not overcrowded, plenty to see and do.

Is it conscious enough to get a dropper of something into it? I would tend to go for a runny mixture of yogurt, chopped cooked egg yolk, and oatmeal. I can't see what you can do for an unconscious chick, other than hold it and hope for the best.....

 

[mully]

Try a dropper and see if she will respond to a few drops of water...not too much because she is unconsciousness. There is no way of telling if she will recover... time will tell. Keep her isolated and comfortable as that is all you can do at the moment. Good luck with her and sorry this happened.

 

[big brown horse]

If you don't have a dropper, I've used a cut short straw and put a finger on one end to hold in the liquid and remove your finger to release the liquid. It works if you are in a pinch.

 

[big brown horse]

Sorry, I wanted to add, good luck and I am so sorry. I hope she gets better.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Try a little sugar water to give her some energy then go back to water.

As for the rest, make sure you pull any that have been pecked on and make sure the others have plenty of room. Sometimes over crowded can cause them to peck. Boredom can cause it too.

Good luck!

 

[Thewife]

Oh shoot Amy!
I don't know what to tell ya!
I would try the sugar water, maybe some eletrolytes if you got any?

It was/is waaaaaaay to hot today!

 

[amysflock]

I have her isolated on the bathroom floor on towels, just cleaned her again with hydrogen peroxide and she stood up, opened her eyes part way and squawked a couple times before settling back down. I dipped her beak in sugar water and she took a sip but no more. Maybe she'll come around. I will spray her with BluKote, too.

The other two I've pulled out and stuck them in the brooder box (2 x 4' with tall sides and a screen top) with clean shavings, water and food, and sprayed both with BluKote so they don't start in on eachother.

The coop is plenty big for the 14 kiddos (7'x6'). I am sure I still have at least two roos in there, and one or both will go. I don't know why my Easter Eggers are always the ones that get it. It happened in the parent flock, too, and I ended up housing two EEs and two Black Sex links separately from everyone else. (My EE chicks are mutts as all the chicks have the same Black Australorp daddy.) I had told DH that I wouldn't do Red Sex Links again b/c they seem so high strung (and I think were the pickers in the parent flock), and here I am with at least some of my chicks the offspring of my murdered Red Sex Links. Grrr.

I am so mad at myself, though, as a) I should have pulled the four out last night when I noticed some feathers missing and I wouldn't be where I'm at now and b) they ran their waterer dry the day before and I didn't notice until the evening...so that's when they could have started.

On the other hand, I also just removed 5 chicks from the flock and gave them to a little girl (this past Monday), and then two days ago spread a bunch of veggie scraps around the coop for "entertainment" and maybe that's when the aggression started. Any way I slice it, I am seriously beating myself up right now.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Quit beating yourself up.

I'm glad she is showing signs of improvement. Don't give the sugar water longer than 12 hours as it can cause diarrhea.

EE's are a gentle breed and that is probably why they are the ones getting picked on.

 

[Thewife]

Don't let it get you down Amy!


If you think you need to thin them out a little, you know where I live!