1 died, edit: leg paralysis

[cracked_egg]

Sorry if this is in the wrong section... I didn't know if it should go in chicks or diseases.

I have 29 chicks at about 5 days... All seemed fine till this morning when one seemed depressed and like he couldn't stand on his legs, they were spread out... I made her drink, and she just seemed to go down hill... When I came back she was dead...

Now another chick (diff breed) is acting like she can't stand on one leg and is baring all weight on the other leg.... I noticed one SLW was paralyzed in one leg when I picked them up so they traded her out... But the orpington is the newest showing this issue...


So are they just birth defects or do I have a problem?

ETA: the BO chick is now 1 week old and seems to b paralyzed... She puts out her one wing and leg, sorta like sun/dust bathing, cept if she walks on it she limps, she really doesn't use it at all...

 

[chickerdoodle]

Please answer some questions first:

How long do you have them?
Where did you get them?
What are you feeding? How old is there food? Did it get wet?
What is the temp in the brooder?
Could there be a draft?
What do their poos look like?
Do any of them have poo stuck on their hind ends (pasty butt)?
Are they eating well?
What are you using for bedding?
Are they walking on a wire bottom cage?
Did you dip their beaks in the water (not too far--you don't want to dunk the nostrils)?
Are any getting picked on by others?
What size is your brooder?


What I would do ASAP:
Add electrolytes and multi vitamins to their water.
If they have pasty butts gently wash it off with moistened (warm water) cotton calls or tissue paper if you have no cotton balls. Dry them gently and carefully.
Spread their food around on paper towels over their bedding to be sure they are eating.
Be sure the brooder is 90-95 degrees and they have enough space to get away for the heat if they want.
Make sure their water and food is not right under the brooder light.
Put paper towels over their bedding for a good grip and see their poos better to be sure they are normal.
If the food is old or if its gotten wet --completely change their food with a new bag of fresh food that has never gotten wet.

Hoping for the best

 

[cracked_egg]

I've had them since monday. The food is newish and kept in house (bout a month old maybe 6 weeks?). Never been wet... Brooder was right temp, they seem happy... Mostly normal looking poo but I'm not a chick expert.

Um, the space wasn't the best for 29 of them but they didn't seem to crowded. The wone that died did NoT have pasty butt, but some others do... Let's see, they're on news paper changed 2x a day with feed spread over it. I did dip their beaks, they've all been acting normal till today and it is just the two... (One of which died...). No drafts. I just moved them to stock tank w sawdust, but they should b old enough (moved after chick died)

Idk... I'll watch them closely. Got them from hatchery... And 5 from a breeder...

 

[chickerdoodle]

Although not usually deadly, newspaper can cause spradle leg and other non lethal leg problems because it is too slick for them and I would not use it. If injured in any way there is the chance they will get picked on. Sawdust tends to be too dusty and they are so close to the floor they will breathe it in and can get respiratory problems. Alder or pine shavings are OK if there is enough ventilation. If the space in the brooder is too small they may pile up on each other when they try to find a place at the proper temperature to sleep at night. This certainly can cause injury or even death from suffocation or internal injuries. I don't know if that's it but one possibility.

Bigger brooder is good but definitely get the vitamins in the water as some deficiencies can cause leg issues and won't hurt the chicks to have it for a week or so. Also, be sure there are two or three feeding stations with enough room for all to eat at the same time. Chicks on the bottom of the pecking order may actually starve. Two waterers as well.

There are times when a chick fails to thrive and no matter what you do they won't make it. If you lose one or two out of twenty nine and the others are fine it just may be that.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[cracked_egg]

Thanks! I just didn't know if there was a disease that caused leg paralysis. They all seem healthy, the one with the "bum leg" seeems fine, just that she is limping... She's huge! The 1 that died was the only1 that "never grew" & she was a sLW,... This fatty is a buff orpington....

I am keeping a close watch! This is my third batch and I've only had losses because of my min pin, not natural cause or disease.... This is pine shavings, they seem to do ok on it... I don't have access to anything else, so they get horse shavings, poor dears!

I just don't want anything to happen to them, they're so sweet!

 

[cracked_egg]

Edited because was double post!


Also, update... Now little chick is barely walking on the one leg, she just limps around IF she walks. She plops her fat butt on a feeder and that's that....

Could she have broke it somehow? Paralisis? Some kind of disease? They all seem "bright" this morning, even my gimp... Lol poor girl, thinks she just got named...

 

[chickerdoodle]

Are you sure its a buff orpington? It sounds like a cornish rock cross. Is she much bigger than the other chicks? Is she a light color? Cornish Rock crosses are meat chickens, HUGE, light or white, get leg problems often and just park themselves by a feeder. Any chance they made a mistake and sent you one?
Can you post a picture?

 

[cracked_egg]

No, I don't think she's a c cross... She is just large but looks like the other orpingtons...


She still seems healthy, other than that...