I've just had the pleasure of incubating chicken eggs for the first time and have hatched four beautiful Vorwerk chicks, which I have already placed in the brooder (all minimum 24 hours old). The first three are energetic and have fluffed out nicely.
The fourth chick to hatch pipped and zipped very quickly, although it was the last to successfully hatch and was trampled on by it's siblings on exiting the shell. I'm not sure if it was disconnected from the shell too quickly as there were traces of a few blood vessels inside the shell and there was a small white/yellow blob left - I'd assume the very last bit of yolk it was absorbing or an infection?
Once the chick was out I noticed it was much smaller and weaker looking than the other chicks that had hatched previously. The down looked a lot thinner and I can see small patches of skin more clearly than on the others. The behaviour was lethargic and it would drag itself and wiggle very occasionally in the corner, where it must've huddled to avoid being disturbed and rest. It's perked up quite a bit since the initial hatch, however it's still very wobbly on it's feet. The down has dried although it still looks very thin - perhaps some sort of residue preventing it from fluffing up?
The chick appeared to have pasty butt, so I cleaned this up with warm water and a soft cloth and as you can probably see in the photo it has since pooped (although not green/black like its siblings, which I assume is the norm). The chick has been isolated from the others, although still in each others view.
More worryingly and the main reason for this thread is the physical condition of the chick. Originally I thought the chick was suffering wry neck/torticollis as it was contorting it's head backwards in what must've been an effort to position itself upright - although now that it is out of the incubator this doesn't seem to be such an issue. I now believe that there is a problem with the chick's left foot (see photo) and it seems to be resting it's weight on the outside rather evenly across the foot, which is perhaps why the chick keeps losing balance. Could this be the beginning of splayed leg or a deformity?
I've just checked the chick in the brooder and its just laying lethargically again - not sure whether it's just resting or preparing for death... I dipped their beak but he/she doesn't seem to have the energy to feed his/herself - is it possible to gently force feed?
Any feedback and advise would be greatly appreciated. Photos as follows:
Brooder (Red Light) Photos are more to represent the size of the sickly chick against the healthy chicks - sorry its not very visible as they're separated.
The fourth chick to hatch pipped and zipped very quickly, although it was the last to successfully hatch and was trampled on by it's siblings on exiting the shell. I'm not sure if it was disconnected from the shell too quickly as there were traces of a few blood vessels inside the shell and there was a small white/yellow blob left - I'd assume the very last bit of yolk it was absorbing or an infection?
Once the chick was out I noticed it was much smaller and weaker looking than the other chicks that had hatched previously. The down looked a lot thinner and I can see small patches of skin more clearly than on the others. The behaviour was lethargic and it would drag itself and wiggle very occasionally in the corner, where it must've huddled to avoid being disturbed and rest. It's perked up quite a bit since the initial hatch, however it's still very wobbly on it's feet. The down has dried although it still looks very thin - perhaps some sort of residue preventing it from fluffing up?
The chick appeared to have pasty butt, so I cleaned this up with warm water and a soft cloth and as you can probably see in the photo it has since pooped (although not green/black like its siblings, which I assume is the norm). The chick has been isolated from the others, although still in each others view.
More worryingly and the main reason for this thread is the physical condition of the chick. Originally I thought the chick was suffering wry neck/torticollis as it was contorting it's head backwards in what must've been an effort to position itself upright - although now that it is out of the incubator this doesn't seem to be such an issue. I now believe that there is a problem with the chick's left foot (see photo) and it seems to be resting it's weight on the outside rather evenly across the foot, which is perhaps why the chick keeps losing balance. Could this be the beginning of splayed leg or a deformity?
I've just checked the chick in the brooder and its just laying lethargically again - not sure whether it's just resting or preparing for death... I dipped their beak but he/she doesn't seem to have the energy to feed his/herself - is it possible to gently force feed?
Any feedback and advise would be greatly appreciated. Photos as follows:
Brooder (Red Light) Photos are more to represent the size of the sickly chick against the healthy chicks - sorry its not very visible as they're separated.
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