I have a group of 10 chicks that I'm raising from their mother (it was safer for me to take them and see them to adulthood than to let them follow their mother). This morning I noticed I only had 9 and when I looked inside their doghouse 1 seemed to be dead- head bent way back, on it's side and legs askew. Only when I went to pick it up it suddenly came to life, chirping and moving. And falling over all over the place. It couldn't walk and when I put it with the other chicks they all swarmed it. So I put it inside a box with some straw and food and water.
It keeps falling over onto it's back. Then it just lays there helpless until I upright it again. It has a healthy appetite and is drinking water and I make sure a few times an hour to shove food and water in it's face to encourage it to eat and drink (and it does). I also fed it some woodlouse bugs and it ate those up in no time though wasn't strong enough to take them from the tweezers, I had to drop them in front of it as he'd tug and tug and tug and couldn't get them off the tweezers (that really worried me, he's so weak!). I also have to upright it a few times an hour. When he walks he does it very oddly on his heels instead of his feet and he wobbles a lot.
What's going on? Just yesterday they were all fine, scratching, bathing, jumping around and then today this one little sick guy. It does feel a bit skinny to me, but not by much when compared to the others. I've never really had nice plump chickens in my 10ish years with them though they are offered scratch and raiser and have the entire yard and field to hunt in.
Within the last hour or two I added some vitamin B shavings to his food (Standard Complex, B-complex).
It keeps falling over onto it's back. Then it just lays there helpless until I upright it again. It has a healthy appetite and is drinking water and I make sure a few times an hour to shove food and water in it's face to encourage it to eat and drink (and it does). I also fed it some woodlouse bugs and it ate those up in no time though wasn't strong enough to take them from the tweezers, I had to drop them in front of it as he'd tug and tug and tug and couldn't get them off the tweezers (that really worried me, he's so weak!). I also have to upright it a few times an hour. When he walks he does it very oddly on his heels instead of his feet and he wobbles a lot.
What's going on? Just yesterday they were all fine, scratching, bathing, jumping around and then today this one little sick guy. It does feel a bit skinny to me, but not by much when compared to the others. I've never really had nice plump chickens in my 10ish years with them though they are offered scratch and raiser and have the entire yard and field to hunt in.
Within the last hour or two I added some vitamin B shavings to his food (Standard Complex, B-complex).
I thought it would be a huge fight, but I don't know if chickens have taste buds? lol. It's 11pm now and I put him in the shop where it's nice and warm and he won't keep everyone awake. I'll be up bright and early to give him some more B and give him his own pen outside seperate from the others but within sight.
