3 week old favorelle chick with sudden(?) leg problems

[Rockpile99]

Pics will be uploaded tomorrow.

I have a three week old Salmon Favorell from the feed store. We got 8 other chicks of various breeds at the same time and they have all been in the brooder together. I just noticed tonight that the Salmon Favorell is not using either of his legs. he also has very white or light yellowish diarreha that just oozes out when you pick him up. I'm not sure how long this has been a factor, he was fine a few days ago when we took them all out for thier first taste of the great outdoors. He is the 'runt' of the bunch, in that, he is very slow to feather out, all the others all ready have most of their wing feathers and a good start on their tail feathers and he looks like they did on day 4 of being home with us. I don't know if favorelles are slow to feather ayway? They were eating chick starter for the first two weeks, and have been on a ground grain diet for the last few days, until I can get back to the feed store tomorrow for more starter feed. The ground grains consist of wheat, corn, beans, barley, millet, oats, flax, sunflower and sesame seeds and a little bit of eggshell. I have been using some bacon grease and water to bind the grain flour together into crumbles. All of the other chicks seem to be doing fine.

There are no visible injuries, I'm not sure right now how his apetite is

It's not a matter of splayed leg or curled toes, he's flat out not using his legs or feet at all. I compared him to my other chicks, when you put your finger under their feet they naturally close their foot on your finger as if to perch, he does not. Also, the other chicks, when they have their feet pulled behind them (gently of course) will pull them back up to their stomach or in front of themselves when their feet are released, 'nubs' as we call him will not.

I cleaned him up a bit tonight, like I said earlier, the poo just kept coming out of him, so I squeezed (gentley again of course) it out and did get him to expell some solid, normal colored looking bits, I gave him some poly Vi sol (non iodized) vitamins although I think I nearly killed him doing that. note to self - just a drop at a time. He is now in his own little box with a towel, under a heat lamp and a ramekin each of water and food, I'm not sure how interested he is in either. I should be able to find that out tomorrow.

Anything else I can do for him? Do you think this will go away as mysteriously as it came on with a return to the starter feed? I came across a little info about the tendon problem but only enough to know that there is such a problem, not sure that it's my problem and no real info about it's symptoms, how quickly it presents or how to treat it.


Thanks for any help you can give

Karen

 

[urbanchicksta]

Hi,

I don't have any real advice but I bought a Salmon Favarolle at the feed store about 6 weeks ago. She too turned out to be a runt. The feed store told me the SF's were the oldest of the bunch ( bought a RIR, and Brit Red) but it was surprising to see how my little "Taluhlah" never grew. She looked like the same chick I bought while the other chicks looked liked big hefty chicken hawks with full feathers. The feed store offered no advice other than to just watch her. She wasn't eating or drinking or pooping for awhile and then my momma instincts kicked in and I broke down and fed them a hard boiled egg. Granted---it could be purely coincidence as I know nothing about chickens but ever since then her appetite returned and she's eating and drinking like a champ. She's still a little twirp but she's beginning to feather out and I think she'll make it just fine.

Hope your little chick recovers...good luck

 

[Mahonri]

sounds like the chick could have picked up cocci.

I'd give some antibiotics with the vitamins in this instance even though for the most part I am "anti-antibiotic"

 

[dawg53]

i had the same thing happen with one of my faverolle chicks. i read somewhere it was a vitamin deficiency,specifically vitamin B. i put nutri drench in their water(it doesnt have vitamin B,but has other vitamins and minerals) i then went to the pharmacy and bought vitamin B complex and crushed one regular capsule into a fine powder and sprinkled it in their feed. after about a week,the chick was off her hocks and starting to walk somewhat normal. i stopped the nutri drench because it caused diarrhea after 3 days. i continued the vitamin B for another week and the chick was walking normally.as far as your chicks poop,sorry i cant help you there. i always have my chicks on medicated starter feed.

 

[Rockpile99]

Thanks for the advice all, he went downhill badly overnight. He hasn't moved from where I left him, no signs of eating or drinking and no poop. His head is ocassionally twitching now like he's going into convulsions or having seisures (sp). I'm going to have to euthanise him. poor guy.

So now I just want to make sure that whatever he had isn't something the others can catch from him. They again are all doing very well, active, eating drinking chirping all like good little chicks should.

Thanks again