Help! 6 days old little runt eating less and sleep all day

Watermelonteatree

In the Brooder
Jun 30, 2020
8
3
21
One of my silkie baby chick is half size of her siblings. She recently appears really sleepy and ate less and less. I put her in it’s own chamber with food, water and egg yolks (otherwise she’ll just hide in a corner and sleep all day). Anything else I could do to this little guy? She is healthy otherwise but I fear she’ll get weaker and weaker due to not enough food intake. She is about 6 days old.
 

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JustBabyMargo

Lost in Shelly Land
Premium Feather Member
Jul 7, 2021
6,559
41,068
961
Oregon
I would force feed. If she won’t eat, you need to make her eat. I had a Silkie chick do this once too, he just suddenly stopped eating and got too weak, so I had to feed him. He got all better after.

Pry her beak open, making sure to be gentle because she is still just a baby, take a piece of chick feed, put it in her beak, and have her swallow. Don’t overload with food and be sure to let her take water breaks (or just to dip her beak) and swallow breaks. Do this until you either think she has eaten enough or you feel something of a crop. It will need to be done 2-4 times a day depending on how your chick responds to it. It may be easiest if you hold the chick’s beak open and someone else puts the food in, especially at the beginning.

It is a long and tedious process, but I have saved chicks with this method. If it still doesn’t work, it may be a failure to thrive situation.

Best of luck!
 

rosemarythyme

Scarborough Fair
6 Years
Jul 3, 2016
19,933
41,345
1,122
WA, Pac NW
My Coop
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Might be failure to thrive given the size and activity level. If possible, get some Poultry Nutri-Drench and direct dose it carefully with a few drops to see if you can perk it up and get it eating and drinking.

Also it might do better in with the others since they're social animals (unless they pick at it or trample it, then safer alone).
 

BelovedBirds

Crowing
Nov 8, 2021
1,892
3,205
321
England
One of my silkie baby chick is half size of her siblings. She recently appears really sleepy and ate less and less. I put her in it’s own chamber with food, water and egg yolks (otherwise she’ll just hide in a corner and sleep all day). Anything else I could do to this little guy? She is healthy otherwise but I fear she’ll get weaker and weaker due to not enough food intake. She is about 6 days old.
I'm sure you're already recieving great advice, just a note that I can think of- Where in the brooder is she located?
Being in a small sort of chamber by herself, she wont be able to properly adjust her temperature by leaving the heat or going closer to warm up-
Is there any chance you could move her the cool side with her own heat source such as a brooder plate? That way she can adjust her temperature and she may do better? Just a thought.
 

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