Help! Why can't this chick walk anymore?

dianneS

Songster
Mar 16, 2009
843
71
241
South Central PA
I have three chicks in the brooder right now. All three have been fine up until today. They are two weeks old and growing fine. They are on medicated chick crumbles and they have plenty of water and they are warm enough under the brooder lamp, but I have been raising the lamp each day so they are not too hot.

One chick is laying down, won't walk and has both wings splayed out to the sides. She won't walk no matter what and she seems to be holding herself upright with those splayed wings. The other two are just fine. She's not pasted up either.

What could be wrong with her all of a sudden?
 
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I just dipped the chicks beak in the water several times and she drank and drank. As soon as I put her back down, she took a massively huge poop! Could this have anything to do with it?
 
Sounds like that was a good decision. I bet she will perk up now, I would watch and see if she's drinking ok the rest of the day.
 
I'd say watch her water consumption, as well. Chick dehydrate really fast. I think I'd keep dipping her beak in the water every hour or so until I was very sure she was drinking often on her own.
 
I keep making sure she has plenty of food and water. She's doing fine, but still unable to walk. It almost seems a physical problem. She seems to be having trouble getting that right leg underneath her and she balances herself with her right wing. Could she have a dislocation of some sort? Been stepped on by one of the other chicks or something? I've moved her leg and wing and she doesn't seem to be in much pain, but when I put her down she falls to one side and tries to prop herself up with that wing. The other leg seems to be fine?
 
She's trying to use her good leg today and pushing herself a bit with the bad leg stretched out to the side. She seems somewhat better but still not walking normally. I have no idea what is going on but it looks like some sort of dislocation? I don't know what else to do but watch and wait. I would have no idea where or how to wrap her leg since the leg is already stretched out straight all the time and that only seems to make matters worse. If I could get it to hang in a normal position that might help, but her efforts at walking seem to be helping.
 
Whenever I have a weak one:
I separate it out in a clear container still in the brooder. (so it won't get trampled.)
Put in a tablespoon of water with 3 drops Pro-vi-Sol (no iron) for vitamins.
It will also let you monitor how much that chick is drinking, but still lets it see and hear the other chicks.

Good Luck, the vitamins usually perk them up within a day or so...
 
Still no luck with this little one. She's getting around better, but only because she's learned how to use her wings and she's pretty much sitting on her hocks. She's not using her legs at all, neither one of them. I don't know what to do? She's healthy otherwise, but just can't walk normally. This is very upsetting.
 

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