Chickens are prey birds, many animals know chickens to be an easy meal and many animals know that chickens can’t do much to defend or protect themselves, baby chicks are even more fragile and vulnerable, it doesn’t take much to kill a baby chick.
If you think that your baby chick is about to die then it may exhibit some of the symptoms identified in this article
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Signs a baby chick is dying:
A sick or injured chick may die quite quickly, here are signs that your baby chick may be dying:
Poop issues:
A baby chick’s poop, in the early stages, doesn’t start off looking like normal chicken poop. Normally, chickens will release a brown poop with white urates on it, baby chicks will poop green poop, this is normal, but diarrhea is not normal.
If your baby chick has diarrhea then the bird may have coccidiosis, this illness can be fatal to the baby chick and can mean that your chick is about to die.
Excessive chirping:
Chicks don’t chirp that much. If they are happy and content, these birds will be quiet for the most part.
If your baby chicks start to chirp loudly, and frequently, then this may mean that the baby chick is very cold, chicks that get too cold can die.
Baby chicks may also chirp loudly if they are in distress, a chick can become distressed if it is thirsty, hungry, or overall not feeling well.
If the chirping gets weaker, and you don’t address the issue, then this means that the bird is getting worse and your bird may be on its way to death soon
Lameness:
Lameness is concerning in both chickens and in chicks.
Lameness in poultry can mean that the bird has Marek’s disease, or it can mean that the bird has a bacterial infection such as streptococcus, e. Coli, or salmonella. If these ailments are not treated, they can be fatal to your bird
A lack of growth:
Chicks grow pretty quickly, it is normal for these little birds to double in size on a weekly basis. If your bird is not growing, then this can mean that the bird isn’t getting as much food as it needs to.
A chick may not eat because the bird has no appetite or because the bird is being bullied away from food sources. A lack of food can kill the bird so look out for this.
Swelling:
Shipping and transportation are not always a smooth experience for your birds, baby chicks can become stressed or even injured during shipping.
If the bird was dropped, or fell off of something, then the bird may have developed an internal injury, signs of an internal injury include swelling, these injuries can be fatal if not addressed
Vent issues:
The vent is a very important poultry organ, it plays a part in waste removal and reproduction. If there is a scab-like crust covering your baby chick’s vent, then the bird may have pasty butt, this ailment can be fatal to your bird, if not addressed.
Issues with the neck:
Your chicks head is meant to maintain a forward position at all times, if your bird develops wry neck, that is if the bird has difficulty holding its head up, and its head becomes crooked, then your bird may have wry neck, this can be fatal if not treated
Gasping for air:
Gasping for air is not a good sign in chickens or in chicks.
A bird that gasps for air may do this because it has aspergillosis, aspergillosis is a fungal infection that will attack your bird’s respiratory system, it can infect birds of all ages and can be fatal.
Navel infection:
An open navel means that the chick did not have enough time to fully form before hatching.
An open navel can quickly become infected and this infection can quickly spread to other organs of the bird’s body, this can kill the bird.
Lack of movement:
Baby chicks aren’t known to hatch and then stay in one spot, the healthy ones will move around quite frequently and move around all over the place.
Unhealthy baby chicks will constantly be sleeping or will lie on their side, birds who do this are likely close to death
Ruffled feathers:
Feathers are meant to keep birds at a consistent body temperature, if your bird’s feathers are ruffled, and its wings are open, then the bird may be overheating.
Overheating can kill baby chicks quite quickly, other signs of a bird overheating include being very still, being very quiet, and panting.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other chicken related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Pink Chicken Poop, Mustard Yellow Chicken Poop, Chicken Poop Clear Jelly, Baby Chick Eyes Stuck Shut, Baby Chick Not Opening Eyes,
