3 Day Old Cochin Chick is Off Balance and Not Eating or Drinking

[Aime137]

Now I am starting to think her leg or hip is injured! I have never hatched chicks before and I don't know what to do. Can someone please, please help?! I know chicks often die but I would like to try to help her...

When she tries to stand up, she rocks and stumbles backwards, onto her bottom. This is how she lays down.




My first 7 Cochin eggs hatched out over the past 3 days and the very first chick that hatched (72 hours ago) has been off balance(?) and not eating or drinking for about 48 hours. I have been giving her drops of a mixture of probiotics and electrolytes. I have also given her an oatmeal, yogurt, and feed mixture. She is hanging on but no longer stands up or pecks around like the other chicks.
She seemed to be getting trampled by the other chicks. I separated her yesterday afternoon. She is now in her own brooder box.
The other chicks are all doing very well.

I have been reading and researching but can not figure it out. She does not have pasty butt. She did poop last night after I fed her the yogurt mixture. It was not the normal poop color of green and white that she had been pooping. It looks is more of a brown and white, but she is on a different diet that the other chicks.





This was day 1. She is the chick in the front. What a sweet, sweet baby! I am feeling too overwhelmed at this point, and could really use some support...

....

 

[Aime137]

I don't think I have any replies yet...

...Oh how I wish I had joined this group BEFORE needing help....I am not very "computer literate"...

 

[Georgetownchick]

I recently hatched my first set of chickens too. I have one that can not walk at all but drags itself around. Do you think your chick could have spraddle leg? You might want to do a search on that and maybe band aid its legs together to help it walk again. My chick is almost two weeks old and I took it to the vet today. It has a skeletal deformity but is otherwise very healthy and may learn to cope with its deformity. So, in the mean time I feed it yogurt and give it vitamins and it feeds itself the grain food. Good luck with yours. I know it is so hard when you don't know what to do for them.

 

[Aime137]

Thanks so much for your reply. It has been a very hectic day but I did look up spraddle leg and decided to try to bandage her legs. I had a thermometer from the incubator laying on the floor of the brooder box and it had a slippery surface so she may have slipped on it during the night. I have since taped it to the wall.
Unfortunately, by the time I had gathered the necessary supplies and took her out to do it, she was even weaker. I found her on her back with both feet up in the air. She was breathing and I fed and comforted her but at that point I decided to make a dash to the local feed store to see if they could help. They suggested giving all of the chicks Sulmate, which is an antibacterial, and also to try to fix her legs. When I got home, she was dead.

I thought I was fairly well prepared, but I guess I wasn't. The other 6 chicks are all content and gaining strength.

I think it is awesome that you are taking such good care of your chicks.

I hope your deformed one continues to do well!