Very troubled chick

MoonSkin

Songster
6 Years
Apr 24, 2014
206
6
109
I recieved a bantam chick in the mail and it has various ailements. Its toes are curled so it has trouble walking. Its bottom beak is crooked so that one side is open. On top of that, an eye lid seems to be sealed to small for the eye so the chick wont open it.

What would cause so many issues and what can I do to help?
 
Don't have direct experience here, but in passing reading hours and hours here....cross beak? Hmmm, they can sometimes manage fine, sometimes not. Wet food?

The curled toes sound like vitamin deficiency. I would try vitamins right away.

Wouldn't hurt to try vitamins, folks love the polyvisol without iron. (baby vitamins at Walmart, CVS etc)

Unless it's a birth defect. I see that people successfully make splints for curled toes if it's a defect.

Hopefully all works out for the little one.
 
Ah, so hard when they are troubled. They're so fragile! I'd watch to see if the little one is drinking and eating on its own. If not, water in an eye dropper and food mixed with yogurt is a good bet. I've heard that chickens with cross beak drink more effectively from a hanging water nipple system rather than from a bowl on the ground (hence the eyedropper idea for when they are little, but that takes a lot of time and commitment). Cross beak chicks also eat better from a deep dish of food so they can get their whole beak down in there rather than trying to peck at only one layer of food. Regarding the eye, is it sealed shut with goop or is it just closed? You might try gently applying a warm paper towel to the eye if its sealed with any kind of substance.
Good luck with the baby!
 
Ah, so hard when they are troubled. They're so fragile! I'd watch to see if the little one is drinking and eating on its own. If not, water in an eye dropper and food mixed with yogurt is a good bet. I've heard that chickens with cross beak drink more effectively from a hanging water nipple system rather than from a bowl on the ground (hence the eyedropper idea for when they are little, but that takes a lot of time and commitment). Cross beak chicks also eat better from a deep dish of food so they can get their whole beak down in there rather than trying to peck at only one layer of food. Regarding the eye, is it sealed shut with goop or is it just closed? You might try gently applying a warm paper towel to the eye if its sealed with any kind of substance.
Good luck with the baby!
These are great tips that make a ton of sense!!!! I'm storing the info in my memory file too!

What about a hamster gerbil bottle...I read about people using these successfully with chicks...so not much of an investment. I think I have 3 in my garage...
 

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