[naopll10]

my sister got a little chick and it has a swollen eye and it's cloudy, and its all bloated/puffed up with air/gas and we're not sure what is wrong with it. any suggestions help please?

[joyfull]

how old is the chick?
I would say also to get it to a vet as soon as possible (today) 

[Chookiechook]

As the vet will be emergency out of hours etc and will cost a phenomenal amount (thinking child posting here) then maybe the first course of action is to go back to where the chick came from and ask the hopefully knowledgeable breeder??

I would hate anyone to rush to the vet with one of my chicks before consulting me.... It could be something easily remedied with baytril, tylan etc.... both of which I stock.

I agree that the vets should be the first and best place to go but also in reality its not always possible or the best source of experience.

Good luck little chick.

[naopll10]

  it's getting better now.

[Chookiechook]

What did you do in the end....what treatment did it get

[naopll10]

  sad to say but the chick died. my sister will get another one. we buried the chick and stuck a marker there and it say's : in loving memory of Elouise flower (my sister named it that). elouise chickie will be sadly missed by jasmine.(that's my sisters name). I (naomi) stuck some sontes around it.

[ManicMum]

Hi, Naomi and Jasmine,

I think you might be better to get a chicken that is a bit older - the babies take a lot of expert care in addition to love.

Many of the people on this forum sem to think that POL (point of lay - so you should get eggs quite soon after they've settled in!) are a good choice as they are old enough to cope with the stress of moving to a new home and to eat & drink by themselves, but are still young enough to learn to see you and other humans as friends.

[naopll10]

  now my chick died. my little 2 year old sister sat on it and broke its wing.

[Chookiechook]

Maybe chicks are a little bit vulnerable for your setup./... they dont tolerate being sat on and get poorly very easily.....  Did you only have the one??

Why not go for three nice pekin hens.....still not ideal for sitting on but much easier to look after

[AL Hathaway]

I am sorry to sound so mean even if it was an accident  but where is parental supervision.. They are a living animal same as you and need to be cared for not sat on or roughed about!

I think if you would like to hold and play with chickens maybe a nice poland or sablepoot  point of lay something a bit older than a chick.

[orchardlady]

Hello Naomi (very pretty name by the way) As people have suggested maybe 3 older birds point of lay. If you have three they will keep each other company when you are not home. You will need to talk to your parents carefully about having them and make sure it's OK with them first. If possible maybe look at this forum with one of your parents for ideas and advice. Everyone is very friendly and helpful, no question is too small or ever seen as silly. Everyone needs to start somewhere! Keeping chickens is not difficult but it is work and you need to be very ready and prepared to look after them whatever the weather and whatever else you may be doing.

Little chicks do have very special needs and someone looking after them that knows what to do for them. Where did you and your sisters chicks come from? Was it a school project? (please don't say which school in your answer if it was a school project).

I hope you are not too sad about your little chicks dying but learn from their deaths and don't have any more for  the moment until you are really sure you know how to care for grown up ones first.

Orchard Lady.

[ManicMum]

It would be great if you show this chat to Mum or whoever would help you look after your chickens - we're all happy to talk to you and to your carers.

[jinty1911]

Oh dear.  So sad   

[naopll10]

hey i got a plymouth rock chick and it's big enough to care for itself, and it's in with the other chicks now, i named her lucy,and my brother named his chick samuel, and my sister named her's flower aren't those pretty names?

[joyfull]

naopll10 - please suggest to your sister and parents that chickens are social creatures and like company so you really should get 3 at least. As I assume you are new to chickens then getting point of lay would be better - so look for chickens that are around 17 weeks old.