2 week old Barred rock pullet can't walk

[Robotmomma]

Hi everyone. I am so worried about this little chick. I have a 2 week old chick who seemed to have injured her left leg. She was hopping around pretty well on the right leg for one day and a half. We isolated her and she was doing fine. Then all of a sudden the right leg went too and she just tries to move around using her head and wings. I felt around her legs and couldn't feel or see any injuries or swelling. Her legs were fine until day before yesterday. 10/10 she started hopping on one leg. 10/11 she was still doing that until midday.

I was scared it was Marek's or something but I read on here that maybe not for such a young chick. Maybe vitamin deficiency?

How does that happen if you feed them chick starter? We have another chick with a cross beak maybe there is something wrong with the food. We have a bag of Nutrena Nature wise chick starter.

I read on here about getting some Nutri-Drench. If it is vitamin deficiency can it hit so fast like that? She won't stop chirping so we made a little box with a wire lid so they don't trample her and put her in with the other chicks and she is much happier now. I think she missed them and was scared. I was worried about any disease spreading but they have all been together so they had to have been exposed already.

added new video

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi everyone. I am so worried about this little chick. I have a 2 week old chick who seemed to have injured her left leg. She was hopping around pretty well on the right leg for one day and a half. We isolated her and she was doing fine. Then all of a sudden the right leg went too and she just tries to move around using her head and wings. I felt around her legs and couldn't feel or see any injuries or swelling. Her legs were fine until day before yesterday. 10/10 she started hopping on one leg. 10/11 she was still doing that until midday.

I was scared it was Marek's or something but I read on here that maybe not for such a young chick. Maybe vitamin deficiency?

How does that happen if you feed them chick starter? We have another chick with a cross beak maybe there is something wrong with the food. We have a bag of Nutrena Nature wise chick starter.

I read on here about getting some Nutri-Drench. If it is vitamin deficiency can it hit so fast like that? She won't stop chirping so we made a little box with a wire lid so they don't trample her and put her in with the other chicks and she is much happier now. I think she missed them and was scared. I was worried about any disease spreading but they have all been together so they had to have been exposed already.

Do you have photos of her? A video of her actions would be good too (upload to youtube or similar platform then provide us a link)
At 2weeks, it's not Marek's.
She may have a slipped tendon or splayed leg, what type of bedding are you using?

The Nutri-Drench is good, but does not contain Riboflavin (B2), so if it is a vitamin deficiency, find a poultry vitamin that has B2 or you give her 1/4tablet human B-Complex daily.

Cross beak is a genetic deformity.

Complete feeds should have all the nutrition that chicks need if they are fresh. Check the date on your bag. Vitamins/Minerals and other nutrients do degrade and break down over time.

IF the leg issues is caused by disease, the others have already been exposed. It was a good idea to keep her near the others so she is happier.

 

[coach723]

Pictures would help. It may be slipped tendons (perosis). Here is a very good article on treatment of leg and foot problems, scroll down to "Fix slipped achilles tendon in hock joint" - all of the info in the article is good.
https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

 

[Eggcessive]

The slippery flooring of the dog kennel will make it hard for her to get footing, so I would put an old towel down for her. You can line that with paper towel or the shavings. She may have splay or spraddle legs, but slipped tendon, leg deformities, or vitamin deficiency is possible. Are her legs wide apart, are her feet curled, or is one leg stronger than the other? We cannot see how she holds her legs in the video. I would make her a chick chair and place her food and water in front of her. Give the vitamins as posted before, and look up splayed leg treatment.

 

[Robotmomma]

Do you have photos of her? A video of her actions would be good too (upload to youtube or similar platform then provide us a link)
At 2weeks, it's not Marek's.
She may have a slipped tendon or splayed leg, what type of bedding are you using?

The Nutri-Drench is good, but does not contain Riboflavin (B2), so if it is a vitamin deficiency, find a poultry vitamin that has B2 or you give her 1/4tablet human B-Complex daily.

Cross beak is a genetic deformity.

Complete feeds should have all the nutrition that chicks need if they are fresh. Check the date on your bag. Vitamins/Minerals and other nutrients do degrade and break down over time.

IF the leg issues is caused by disease, the others have already been exposed. It was a good idea to keep her near the others so she is happier.

Thank you very much. I didn't know if it was right to do it but she was clearly comforted by them. She's never slept alone before. I check the date it was manufactured Feb 2018. Glad you mentioned lack of b2 because I was getting ready to drive an hour to get the Nutri-Drench.

We are using pine. I think she could have been hurt when my daughter moved her from indoor brooder to outdoor brooder as we do in fine weather so they can be outside in the sun and on the grass and dirt. My daughter moved her and said she jumped and fell on her side but not from very high and they do that a lot. But she was chirping loudly after we got them all moved and I thought maybe it was too cold but I watch her and she was limping.

 

[Robotmomma]

it's difficult to get a good pic. Her legs look curled up today. She was walking fine. It seem so sudden.

 

[Robotmomma]

The slippery flooring of the dog kennel will make it hard for her to gett footing, so I would put an old towel down for her. You can line that with paper towel or the shavings. She may have splay or spraddle legs, but slipped tendon, leg deformities, or vitamin deficiency is possible. Are her legs wide apart, are her feet curled, or is one leg stronger than the other? We cannot see how she holds her legs in the video. I would make her a chick chair and place her food and water in front of her. Give the vitamins as posted before, and look up splayed leg treatment.

Thank you. I did have a lot more pine in there but it kept falling out the sides. I will put a towel int here if we put her back in the kennel again. I added some more pics and I will upload a better video. We took that one last night and she wasn't moving much just chirping. The right leg was great for the first part of yesterday. I feel horrible if she injured her other leg because of my kennel set up being to slippery. I made a little sling for her but she doesn't like it. She was strong enough to get out of it!

 

[Robotmomma]

Pictures would help. It may be slipped tendons (perosis). Here is a very good article on treatment of leg and foot problems, scroll down to "Fix slipped achilles tendon in hock joint" - all of the info in the article is good.
https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

oh this does look like a possibility. Thanks for this link. I have a video where you may be able to see her hock joint better.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Greetings Robotmomma,

So sorry your little chick is ill.

Although it is possible that her leg was injured, her symptoms do not look like injury to me. If she had sprained her leg she would have still been able to hop on the uninjured leg. A nutritional deficit doesn't seem like the issue either, as, you are feeding all the chicks the same food. These two issues are fixable. And, treating the chick for both, will not hurt.

However, you should look at disease as a possible problem. * Epidemic Tremor is a disease in chicks 1-3 weeks old. The symptoms are as follows: dull eyes, lost coordination, out stretched wing, falling over, sitting on hocks, weak peeping, sometimes periodic vibration of the head and neck and "buzzing" sound when chick is held. The disease can run up to 4 weeks. Chicks usually die from starvation, due to being unable to reach food or water. This disease is caused by a virus (picornavirus), and the virus can survive in the chick's droppings for four weeks.

There is no treatment for it. If the chick survives, it will not be a good layer and should not be bred.

* The Chicken Health Handbook, Gail Damerow, 1994

Hopefully, this is an injury or nutritional issue. But, as a precaution you should replace the bedding in the brooder, and pickup all feces. This chick should be kept separate from the other chicks. She will be fine as long as she can see the others. Chicks are also rambunctious, and will trample her.

The body's immune system is the only way to defeat a virus. In adult chickens, it is good to boost the chicken's immune system with echinacea tea in the water. I would do this for a chick that has a possible viral illness, too. A multivitamin is also beneficial. Keep the chick warm, but, because it cannot move, you will have to monitor the temperature carefully. You don't want the chick to over heat and become dehydrated or stressed.

Diet: Continue feeding chick feed, but, mince or grate some peeled fresh apple. Use about 1/2 teaspoon of apple, mix into a tablespoon of feed and add warm water to make moist mash. If you have some poultry probiotic, add just a tiny pinch to the feed before wetting. The apple will entice the chick to eat more, and the pectin in the apple will keep her digestive system moving, while she is not so active. The added moisture will also provide hydration. I use this to beef up my chicks their first 7 weeks.

These are my thoughts on your sick chick's issue. I hope I have been helpful.

God Bless and peace to you.

 

[Robotmomma]

Hen Pen Jem, thanks for your reply. I will try giving the apple like you said. I do notice a buzzing when I hold her. That started last night. Like a vibrating and buzzing, I thought she was just cold. She really prefers to be held in cupped hands and doesn't like being left alone.

I tried to reset her tendon but I didn't feel anything move back. I hope it isn't this epidemic tremor. She's been with all the other chicks the whole time before we noticed her problem. But last night I kept her in the main brooder but segregated in her own box with a rack over it so they couldn't hurt her or mix droppings.

Her droppings are no long in the main brooder as I cleaned it all out and replaced the bedding.