Week old chick with damaged toes?

[Revan]

A follow-up to this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/dozens-of-dead-and-dying-chicks.1194103/ . My mother and I have noticed that one of the chicks, a cochin bantam, is having serious balance issues. We looked it over and noticed that some of it's once yellow-pink toes have turned grey-ish and stiff. I think that the cold it suffered through from being left in the PO storage room (it was below 50 degrees that night) might have actually frozen and killed those toes. Otherwise, the chick appears relatively alert and does eat and drink. it just ends up upside down on it's back a lot and I have to flip it back over.

I don't want to euthanize it if I don't have to. Is there any way I can help it? Or is this one of those situations where I just have to let it be and hope it learns how to cope with this disability on it's own?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Picture would help...Can it walk at all? Or is it immobile? I would leave it, it may fall off or maybe with some soft stimulation it'll regain circulation? Depends how bad it is, therefore a picture would help. If it's mobile, it should learn to compensate it's balance eventually depending on how many & which toes.

Hopefully someone will be of more help than I have been but I wouldn't euthanize it just yet. I would complain to the PostMaster!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post some photos of the toes?

 

[Revan]

I'm trying to take photos, but my camera is rather crappy and doesn't do good close-up photos. I'll try making a video tomorrow when it's daytime at least so you can see it's movements.

 

[Revan]

Picture would help...Can it walk at all? Or is it immobile? I would leave it, it may fall off or maybe with some soft stimulation it'll regain circulation? Depends how bad it is, therefore a picture would help. If it's mobile, it should learn to compensate it's balance eventually depending on how many & which toes.

Hopefully someone will be of more help than I have been but I wouldn't euthanize it just yet. I would complain to the PostMaster!

The postmaster is the reason my chicks were overnight in the storage room. I quote her words, "I don't care."
My complaint has gone above her pay-grade and to the main office instead.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Weren't you notified? Glad to hear you went above that Postmasters head

 

[Revan]

Weren't you notified? Glad to hear you went above that Postmasters head

Nope. I was the one who called them, and they then proceeded to tell me, "Oh yeah, your chicks have been here for awhile." My shipment had come in the day before but no one ever called and when we went to check the day before, they said they only unload the trucks 'once a day.' Currently, the postmaster appears to be on administrative leave as I haven't seen her since I filed the complaint last Saturday.

Going back to my surviving little chick that's having walking troubles, I am considering taking it into our local vet office. Apparently, recently a new vet was hired and has some experience with poultry. *crosses fingers*

 

[PixelDuck]

Curled toe paralysis?
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/curly-toed-paralysis

 

[PixelDuck]

That's like my dozy.
Does your chick look anything like this?

 

[Revan]

No curled toes that I can see. My chick can walk around fairly well but frequently falls over, somehow ends up on it's back, and needs help getting upright again.