Help my poor baby!!

[Melissa in the PNW]

I have a 5(ish) week old baby chick and she doesn’t seem well. She is very wobbly and can’t seem to stand up tall without falling over. She also isn’t getting as big as the others we got at the same time as her. She is eating and drinking and still moving around her little coop. We took her out of the big one because the other birds were trampling over her and we didn’t know if she was sick. How can we help her??

 

[Tookie]

How's your chick doing?

 

[Ponypoor]

I have a 5(ish) week old baby chick and she doesn’t seem well. She is very wobbly and can’t seem to stand up tall without falling over. She also isn’t getting as big as the others we got at the same time as her. She is eating and drinking and still moving around her little coop. We took her out of the big one because the other birds were trampling over her and we didn’t know if she was sick. How can we help her??

I only just saw this, failure to thrive is a hard thing to diagnose.

If she isn’t getting enough nutrients then she will have a revolving door of failing to get enough calories in order to thrive - and eat more in order to thrive and eat even more…

You can try some warm water and honey which is an easy sugar to digest and excellent energy food. Then a nice chick starter/grower. Making it into a nice warm mash might encourage the chick to eat more.

 

[Melissa in the PNW]

How's your chick doing?

She is still pretty wobbly! Falls over a lot, gets pretty off balanced easily. She is still eating and drinking though! I did some reading and it suggested getting electrolytes for her. But not sure…any advice??

 

[Tookie]

She is still pretty wobbly! Falls over a lot, gets pretty off balanced easily. She is still eating and drinking though! I did some reading and it suggested getting electrolytes for her. But not sure…any advice??

Sounds like something neurological is going on. Or she may have wry neck, which can cause her behavior. I'd get some vitamin E 400IU and give her it daily, and eggs along with it for selenium.
Could you get a video of her?

 

[Skipper Carnes]

Okay, be calm, I am going to take you through a step by step guide to give her the best chance at survival. I know you love her. How long has this been going on?

 

[Skipper Carnes]

PS: I raised a crippled, weak, stunted-growth chick into a healthy adult laying hen.

She was a strong, healthy, happy egg-laying crippled hen who survived all the odds and lived a happy, bright life. I also saved a chick stretching out a gasping for air. I saved another chick that was bleeding out with puddled blood everywhere. Please be calm. Every chicken I have ever saved I prayed to Jesus for help. Every chick is God's own creation. My dad found a dead bird and prayed for it, and after he said "amen" the bird came to life and flew away. God is real, and when he answers prayers, it is great, and when he doesn't answer prayers, it is still a blessing.

When my silkie died, I asked God to bring her back, but God decided it was her time, and I am glad he made that decision or I wouldn't have my two beautiful sweet silkies I have now. He took 1, and then he gave me 2 beautiful silkies of the same color and genders I had prayed for. God is amazing, and he will help your hen if it be his will.

 

[Melissa in the PNW]

Sounds like something neurological is going on. Or she may have wry neck, which can cause her behavior. I'd get some vitamin E 400IU and give her it daily, and eggs along with it for selenium.
Could you get a video of her?

PS: I raised a crippled, weak, stunted growth chick into a healthy adult laying hen.

She was a strong, healthy, happy egg laying crippled hen that survived all the odds and went on to live a happy, bright life.

It’s been at least a few weeks of this!

 

[Melissa in the PNW]

Sounds like something neurological is going on. Or she may have wry neck, which can cause her behavior. I'd get some vitamin E 400IU and give her it daily, and eggs along with it for selenium.
Could you get a video of her?

 

[Ponypoor]

Sounds like something neurological is going on. Or she may have wry neck, which can cause her behavior. I'd get some vitamin E 400IU and give her it daily, and eggs along with it for selenium.
Could you get a video of her?

Try supplementing vit B also.

Careful on the dosing of vit E it a fat soluble vit stored in body fat high levels could be harmful, vit B is water so and will get flushed from the system. Thus hard to over dose with.

The key is to ensue that every hr of so you are attending to that baby, get the high energy fluids into her, I do prefer honey water as it’s really high in calories not electrolytes which can also cause upsets with salts in the body. Also offer her chick starter.

If she is not keen on eating use a spoon or
fork or something bright like that with a pointed handle and tap at the chick feed. I put my chick feed on a wooden board for really young chicks. Sure they waste some but it’s easier for them to eat. Tap tap tap with the pointy spoon on the board with the feed, the bright colour and tapping stimulates them to check out what is being offered.

Sickly chicks are a lot of work, round the clock in fact. Good luck and don’t forget the vit B.