1 day old chicks not walking

[lovemychicks101]

This is my 3rd batch of baby chicks I have incubated. 6 out of my 14 chicks can not walk, they are laying on their sides and look like they do not have balance. They do not splayed feet they just lay there and move around by pushing themselves on their back with one leg. I have tried helping them walk but they continue to push to one side, what should I do?

 

[TaylorHobbyFarms]

Chicks will often scoot around at first just after hatching, gaining their bearings in just a few short hours. Has the problem resolved?

 

[lovemychicks101]

No I checked on them this morning and they are still laying on their sides. I attempted to stand them up and put paper towels down for traction with no luck. They look weak and are not eating any ideas?

 

[TaylorHobbyFarms]

Did they hatch on their own or with help?

 

[lovemychicks101]

I had to help them out as they had been in there eggs for hours and the membrane had turned brown. They were in the egg for about 14 hours and were not even close to getting out.

 

[TaylorHobbyFarms]

That can happen with chicks that are too weak to hatch on their own. If it is happening with a variety of hatching eggs, most likely the problem is with your incubator. You might want to check out http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/livestocksystems/DI0631.html with some great information on hatching. Another thing to consider you may already be aware of. If you open the hatcher to get chicks out and some others have already pipped their egg, it could case those eggs to dry out quickly and prevent hatching. We usually have a spray bottle handy with warm water which sometimes helps for when we have to open the hatcher.

 

[lovemychicks101]

Thank you so much the website was very helpful. I have two incubators and the one the 4 chicks that are lame came from just one of them. The incubator was off for a day due to a faulty outlet this is what caused the lameness. What should I do with the chicks?

 

[TaylorHobbyFarms]

If they won't get up and walk, I only know of two options. Both of which are very hard. One is to let them continue and they will die in a couple of days (which I hate because they suffer). The second is to kill them to put them out of their misery (of course I hate this option too). If anyone else has any ideas, please let lovemychicks know. Thanks.

By the way, if it is like splay leg and they can be helped, you will want to visit this site to treat it: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/spraddle-leg-in-baby-chicks-what-is-it.html