3wk old salmon fav. chick seems weak

[MrsRubbler]

So, we have five vaccinated babies of various breeds. Within a few days of getting them home, we noticed one chick had a standing up resting position of one wing being kept lower than the other. What I mean is, if she's not actively moving around, one wing seems to slip down a bit lower. When she starts moving around, she pulls it back up and looks fine. She's not just stretching, we have other adult birds and I know what that looks like- this is something else. We assumed it was some sort of weakness or anomaly from birth and we don't plan on hatching eggs from her, so we don't mind if she droops her wing a little. Starting yesterday she seemed a little lethargic, but nothing too concerning- it's been quite warm and humid here in NY. Then today, she's been laying down every time she stands still and whenever I check on her she's laying down. I don't see anything obviously wrong with her and when she sees me at the brooder "gate" she hops up and runs with her sisters. I've seen her eat and drink without issue, but there's definitely something wrong. What could be going on with her??

Also- I added some chick electrolyte to the waterer this afternoon and completely changed the brooder bedding (some by the "gate"/door had gotten wet during heavy rains today). What else can I do?

Thank you for taking the time to read this over!

 

[Jensownzoo]

Instead of electrolyte supplement, I would consider a vitamin additive plus a probiotic instead. Electrolytes are nice if they have diarrhea to correct the imbalances caused from that, but vitamin deficiencies in growing birds can be common.

You can also supplement her with a little extra protein by feeding cubes of tofu or boiled egg in case she's having a bit of a growth spurt.

 

[MrsRubbler]

Thank you for answering, jensownzoo. The electrolytes were sort of me panicking and figuring it couldn't hurt! Is there a difference in boiling vs scrambling an egg for the chicks? I would skip the usual milk for a scrambled snack/boost- just wondering!

 

[sumi]

Boiling and scrambling are both good, but personally I found scrambling ensures the chicks get all the goodness from the eggs, instead of picking out either the yolk or the white (like my fussies do).

 

[Jensownzoo]

If you want to get really technical, feed the yolk raw and cook the white. That preserves the vitamins and such in the yolk while eliminating the effects of avidin from the white. But honestly, if you're just supplementing the protein, any cooking method works!