I would offer sugar water with a dash of salt, every 20 min and not less than every half hour, since it might be too weak to eat, and you should keep it warm with a lamp at the corner. However, make sure that the warmth is not too much, because she heat might kill the chicken. Also, once it is stronger, feet it scrambled eggs and tiny, broken down crumbs of cottage cheese. I mixed some milk and chick feed in the eggs and fried them up in the pan. if you can get the chick to eat even a 1/4 teaspoon to start, it will soon be on its way. offer it every 30 min and keep water too, but the milk in the eggs makes it soft/tender and gets some liquid into the chick. Be certain to squish it up into tiny pieces so they can handle it. Also, i have heard that some people put the weak chickens in a bandanna around their necks (i don't know why, but most of these actions have proved to be successful). For the rest of the info, I'll just copy and paste from the place that i found all this info. The first day, I kept the weak chicks in a bandana around my neck. This has worked for several differant chicks even older chicks who need some help, over the years. It is tiring work, but very rewarding.

Once they get enough food and want to move around they are on their way. Just keep your eye on them. If you have two chicks that need the attention, they help keep each other warm, but one or two chicks will survive kept in a bandana around my neck. My husband will take the bandana if I need a break. He wears it around his neck and goes about the buisness of his work. Even meeting clients without a care.

They don't do much pooping when they are too weak to eat much, so that is not a concern, the bandana stays pretty clean. If you are having to get out more than one Bandana a day, then they are probably ready to go back to the brooder. You might want to line it with a paper towel, or not. Usually about two days will perk them up. You can take them out of the bandana and hold them in your hands any time you want. Just think warm. your body heat against thiers is enough.

The catch is that you will need to sleep with them one or two nights. It works out fine for me, I have learned how to position the bandana so they are safe. You won't roll over on them when they are near your neck. If you do roll over in the nite thier peeps will remind you to reposition them, and they are so sweet it hardly seems an inconvenince.

My husband has turned out to have a very nurturing heart since we have had chickens. I've never seen such a change in a man from double AA personality to kind hearted, do anything they need kind of man.

A mistake I made one time was putting two weak chicks in a box with one of those hand warmers. What a heartbreak, they get way to hot, and the chicks fall asleep on them when they feel just right, and never wake up. The hand warmers just get hotter and hotter.

Another reason this will save a weak chick is that when you have it in the bandana, it hears your breathing and talking, so hum a little tune. doesn't matter what it is, even a few notes stuck together over and over. When we have done this and been able to save a chick, they have turned out to be some of our favorites. makeing low sounds resonates through your bones and they love it. If you know anything about music, hum it in a minor key. "or just go up and down in half notes". Three notes is plenty. sometimes I will go with two notes. Listen to thier little peeps and make human sounds that echo them. they will have a conversation with you and before you know it they will "twur" for you. This is the equivelent to a cat's purr. It won't last long, they don't have the strength. But if you get a twur you know they now have the "will to live"! I have decided this is good for any chick, and will often put a couple of chicks and a bandana for a nap. It seems to ground them emotionally, and they are the chickens in the yard who run up to you with greetings, even when they are adults.

If I get angry for any reason, I will have someone else hold the chicks till I am calm. I can't imangine being one of those chick's when I yell at someone. It's a rare thing but worth noting.

Any family member can do this, they just must be concious about not squishing the chick. Normal work, watching tv and any chores you do are ok as long as the chick is against your skin and hears your heartbeat and breathsounds. I have noticed them positioning thier head over my bones for the resonance. I put my hand to the bandana as often as I can to warm them and give them another form of maternal contact.This is A precious experience everyone should have.

Good Luck with your chicken!!!

Hatcheries ship out day old chicks, so it getting abandoned by its mother, is really not an issue. It could have coccidiosis. Baby chicks should be on medicated chick starter to protect them from that.

It does sound like it is in pretty poor shape since it can't even stand up. We have had 2 chicks do that out of about 50 and were not able to bring either of them back.

Have you had this chick under a heat lamp?? They HAVE to be kept under lamps. If not, then that could definitely kill it rather quickly.

Also, whenever we get new chicks we always give them sugar water for the first hour. It helps to draw them to it. I don't know if it would help at this point though.

my my my what a lot of work growing up the rooster and hen outside look after their young. All I worry about is collecting the eggs. my my my diabetic chicken never heard of this.

Hello everyone

Please help! About three days ago my neighbor gave me a pet chick ! He said it had been abandoned by its mother and needed care! So I took it in lovingly and with open arms! The first few days it was really noisy and I always had to be with it to quiet it down ! But today when I got up , it was acting all weak and I know it is sick because the same things were happening to my older pet chicken who died the next day! Please help! Also it barely eats ! Since day one ! Please help me ! It barely stands up now it just topples over and its nearly cheeping! Please answer the question and don't be like : take it back to where it came from and such! That's not an option now! All we have to do is make sure robin *its name* survives!

Thank you in advance!