My 8 week old Cuckoo Marans chick is stumbling and sitting down a lot - help!

[chyler79]

Sherman, my 8-week old Cuckoo Marans chick, is stumbling and seems to be favoring her left leg. I just got back to town after having a friend watch my 4 chicks for a week, and as soon as I checked them today I noticed that Sherman is not right. She sits down a lot more than the other chicks (who all seem totally normal) and when she walks she stumbles (mostly to the left). She is eating and drinking, and when I got her out of the coop to look her over she looked OK, and flapped her wings as per usual, so it doesn't seem like her wings are affected. She has always been the biggest chick of my flock and has seemed very vital, and she is still the biggest although the others are catching up...

Not sure what to do - I got the chicks from a breeder who'd vaccinated them for Mareks and I've been treating them weekly for coccidiosis (low dose, as rec by the breeder until 14wks of age) and adding electrolytes/probiotic supplement to their water (although neither has been done in a little over a week now since I was out of town). Since she can still get around I'm thinking of taking a wait-and-see approach but wanted to see what more experienced poultry owners might recommend - these are my first chickens!

Any input is appreciated! Thanks all,

 

[BrickWall Honey]

If all else seems ok and the only issue is the leg(s) and you checked for slipped tendons then likely a vitamin B deficiency. Put some in her water and mix some with feed.

 

[Michael Apple]

Sherman, my 8-week old Cuckoo Marans chick, is stumbling and seems to be favoring her left leg. I just got back to town after having a friend watch my 4 chicks for a week, and as soon as I checked them today I noticed that Sherman is not right. She sits down a lot more than the other chicks (who all seem totally normal) and when she walks she stumbles (mostly to the left). She is eating and drinking, and when I got her out of the coop to look her over she looked OK, and flapped her wings as per usual, so it doesn't seem like her wings are affected. She has always been the biggest chick of my flock and has seemed very vital, and she is still the biggest although the others are catching up...

Not sure what to do - I got the chicks from a breeder who'd vaccinated them for Mareks and I've been treating them weekly for coccidiosis (low dose, as rec by the breeder until 14wks of age) and adding electrolytes/probiotic supplement to their water (although neither has been done in a little over a week now since I was out of town). Since she can still get around I'm thinking of taking a wait-and-see approach but wanted to see what more experienced poultry owners might recommend - these are my first chickens!

Any input is appreciated! Thanks all,

Treating them weekly with a preventative dose of Corid (1tsp) per gallon is too much. I use a preventative dose for 5 days every 3 weeks ,starting at 2-3 weeks old. This is done up to 6 to 9 months of age. I follow up with vitamins and probiotic dispersible powder in water after each treatment. Sounds to me like the chick could be dealing with a vitamin deficiency.

 

[chyler79]

Treating them weekly with a preventative dose of Corid (1tsp) per gallon is too much. I use a preventative dose for 5 days every 3 weeks ,starting at 2-3 weeks old. This is done up to 6 to 9 months of age. I follow up with vitamins and probiotic dispersible powder in water after each treatment. Sounds to me like the chick could be dealing with a vitamin deficiency.

I don't treat with 1tsp, I treat with 1/4tsp per gallon weekly, this was recommended by the breeder. 2 days later I follow up with an electrolyte/probiotic additive. Should I be doing it differently? Thanks!

 

[chyler79]

Thanks guys! I got some Vit B supplement tablets and am crushing them and giving to her in a dropper twice a day (started yesterday, I had just put it in the water but it doesn't really dissolve completely and I was afraid she wasn't getting it), hopefully will see improvement soon. I found a long thread on Vit B issues on here and it really seems like that's what's going on with little Sherman. Hopefully she'll show improvement soon.

 

[Michael Apple]

I don't treat with 1tsp, I treat with 1/4tsp per gallon weekly, this was recommended by the breeder. 2 days later I follow up with an electrolyte/probiotic additive. Should I be doing it differently? Thanks!

Corid 9.6% liquid preventative dose is 1 tsp per gallon, 2 tsp to treat symptoms for 5-7 days. Corid 20% powder is 1/2 tsp for preventative, and 1 tsp for treatment of symptoms for 5 -7 days. Hope that helps.

 

[Michael Apple]

Also, running Corid as a preventative in water requires chicks not be on medicated feed.

 

[Michael Apple]

Thanks guys! I got some Vit B supplement tablets and am crushing them and giving to her in a dropper twice a day (started yesterday, I had just put it in the water but it doesn't really dissolve completely and I was afraid she wasn't getting it), hopefully will see improvement soon. I found a long thread on Vit B issues on here and it really seems like that's what's going on with little Sherman. Hopefully she'll show improvement soon.

Use a good water soluble powder like Avian Super Pack: http://www.asp-inc.com/products/documents/prodinfo/a/aviansp.pdf

 

[teamkight]

How did this one turn out?