how can i help this sick/injured baby?
i bought it yesterday with some other day olds to put under my broody who had only managed to hatch one chick. she loved them & i don't think she did anything to this one.
what happened was, when i went into the henhouse this morning, i found this one lying on the floor not far outside the nest. it was cold, barely breathing & the feathers on the side of its face were all flattened, so i think it must've been there a while. there was a very tiny amount of blood at the corner of its beak but no other signs of injury. i wonder if it fell out of the nest during the night & one of my hens who sleeps on the floor accidentally stood/sat on it?
i brought it inside & as it warmed up its breathing returned to normal. i gave it electrolyte solution around 11am & syringed it a little bit of egg yolk around 1pm, but it didn't really seem to want it so i haven't forced it.
it's been very quiet, sleeping almost constantly. it occasionally opens its eyes & turns its neck around like in the video, which worries me. is it a sign of brain damage? it was a lot floppier earlier but has regained a lot of coordination & is sleeping standing up with no balance issues. i'm worried that it might have internal injuries if another chicken accidentally stood on it while on the floor, but i've gently pressed all over it with my finger & nowhere provoked a response. it cheeps a little if i have to pick it up but doesn't mind being touched once i set it down.
right now i have it in a box under a heating pad cave. it has crumble & water within reach if it wants but all it does is sleep while standing. it has pooped a few normal looking chick poops too. is there anything else i can do for it? do you think it will come around once it's slept long enough? how can i know if it's in too much pain & if it's unlikely to recover?