3 day old chick off balance/wobbly

[DesertGrrl]

I ordered 10 chicks from Ideal Poultry (1 dead DOA) and 1 is very wobbly/off balance.
It's eating and everything, but it has wings out for balance or is squatting down to eat with legs all splayed.

All of them were vaccinated against Marek's.
The rest of the chicks are totally normal and active.

 

[PioneerChicks]

Pictures? It could have spayed-legs, something fairly common in newborn chicks but hatcheries normally cull chicks with problems.

 

[DesertGrrl]

Pictures? It could have spayed-legs, something fairly common in newborn chicks but hatcheries normally cull chicks with problems.

I didn't get a photo of it.
Right now it's under the heat plate with the other chicks.

 

[DesertGrrl]

Looks like 2 chicks are out of it and not thriving.

 

[coach723]

Shipping stress is common. If you have some electrolites (sav-a-chick), give them that. This is generally what I do for weak/struggling chicks:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-chicks-to-survive-hope-it-is-helpful.367608/

 

[DesertGrrl]

Shipping stress is common. If you have some electrolites (sav-a-chick), give them that. This is generally what I do for weak/struggling chicks:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-chicks-to-survive-hope-it-is-helpful.367608/

I've been doing that and trying to make the chick eat, but it doesn't want to.
It's just doing distress chirping all day and sitting under the heat plate.
1 other died this morning for no reason.

 

[DesertGrrl]

It has Yellow diarrhea.

 

[coach723]

Eating is much less important than hydration. Use electrolites, raw egg yolk mixed in water, sugar water, or just plain water if that is all you have and hold the chick in your hand with the beak resting in the crease of your finger. Drip the liquid down the crease so it runs into the beak, the chick will swallow. It takes some time, but works. Give as much as it will take, and do that every 20 - 30 minutes. Shipping can be very hard on them and some of them just don't make it. If you can get it hydrated and feeling better then it will start eating on it's own. When a chick is distress peeping I will often use the neckerchief around my neck to carry them in contact with my upper chest (where it's hard) and it seems to calm them. I talk to them or hum between getting fluids in them. Sometimes they need encouragement to want to live and being in contact with another body seems to help. It's hard to know for sure when they are so small, all you can do is try. Fingers crossed for this one.

 

[luckynan]

Eating is much less important than hydration. Use electrolites, raw egg yolk mixed in water, sugar water, or just plain water if that is all you have and hold the chick in your hand with the beak resting in the crease of your finger. Drip the liquid down the crease so it runs into the beak, the chick will swallow. It takes some time, but works. Give as much as it will take, and do that every 20 - 30 minutes. Shipping can be very hard on them and some of them just don't make it. If you can get it hydrated and feeling better then it will start eating on it's own. When a chick is distress peeping I will often use the neckerchief around my neck to carry them in contact with my upper chest (where it's hard) and it seems to calm them. I talk to them or hum between getting fluids in them. Sometimes they need encouragement to want to live and being in contact with another body seems to help. It's hard to know for sure when they are so small, all you can do is try. Fingers crossed for this one.