4 week old chick can't move

[iowacricket]

First-time chicken owner here. We have a four-week-old buff orpington that we found not moving this morning. She was normal, alert, and playful yesterday. We have her separated from the other chicks now, all of which are acting normally. She only opens her eyes occasionally, can't move her neck or wings, will sometimes try to stand but can't, and sometimes peeps when we pick her up. Her toes are kind of curled up when she's laying down, but can be relaxed when we pick her up. She hasn't pooped since we separated her. All the chicks now have Corid in their water and I've been using an eyedropper to give the sick chick water since she's not drinking on her own. Should I be doing anything else? Is it likely that it's coccidiosis? Or is it probably something else? I really hope it's not Marek's. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[HappyDuckie]

@Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She only opens her eyes occasionally, can't move her neck or wings, will sometimes try to stand but can't, and sometimes peeps when we pick her up. Her toes are kind of curled up when she's laying down, but can be relaxed when we pick her up. She hasn't pooped since we separated her.

Should I be doing anything else? Is it likely that it's coccidiosis? Or is it probably something else? I really hope it's not Marek's.

Welcome To BYC!

Is there a chance she ingested anything toxic (anti-freeze, weed killer, spilled motor oil, fertilizer, etc.), something dead/rotten or moldy, fell from a high roost?

Corid will treat Coccidiosis - have you observed any poop that was runny with mucous or blood?
Symptoms you describe are neurological - it could be a number of things - Marek's does come to mind, botulism/eating something toxic or moldy, possibly Coccidiosis but it would be advanced for those symptoms (or that's my understanding of the way it works).

I would continue to try to get fluids into her - does she seem to be able to swallow o.k.?
I would also give her Vitamin E (400IU). A lot depends on the poop as to whether to give B-Complex or not. Since you are giving Corid, then extra B1 should not be given.

If she poops, try to get photos - likely it will just be watery.

I'm sorry about your sweet girl. Let us know how she's doing.

 

[the3quail]

This exact thing happened to one of ours, she died 4-6 hours later. I hope you can help her, and if not, I'm sure she had a good life, and was treated well

 

[ILoveDaffy]

Poor thing! That is a beautiful, sweet pullet!

 

[iowacricket]

Welcome To BYC!

Is there a chance she ingested anything toxic (anti-freeze, weed killer, spilled motor oil, fertilizer, etc.), something dead/rotten or moldy, fell from a high roost?

Corid will treat Coccidiosis - have you observed any poop that was runny with mucous or blood?
Symptoms you describe are neurological - it could be a number of things - Marek's does come to mind, botulism/eating something toxic or moldy, possibly Coccidiosis but it would be advanced for those symptoms (or that's my understanding of the way it works).

I would continue to try to get fluids into her - does she seem to be able to swallow o.k.?
I would also give her Vitamin E (400IU). A lot depends on the poop as to whether to give B-Complex or not. Since you are giving Corid, then extra B1 should not be given.

If she poops, try to get photos - likely it will just be watery.

I'm sorry about your sweet girl. Let us know how she's doing.

We usually keep them inside in their brooder, but we did let them outside in the run yesterday. She could have eaten something toxic there, but it's just dirt and I was out there with them the whole time. I haven't seen any poop with mucous or blood and she's swallowing okay with the eyedropper. I've been trying to hand feed her some wet chick feed but she's not interested. If she did eat something toxic, is there any way we could flush out her system?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We usually keep them inside in their brooder, but we did let them outside in the run yesterday. She could have eaten something toxic there, but it's just dirt and I was out there with them the whole time. I haven't seen any poop with mucous or blood and she's swallowing okay with the eyedropper. I've been trying to hand feed her some wet chick feed but she's not interested. If she did eat something toxic, is there any way we could flush out her system?

Is she able to poop at all?

So they are still in a brooder inside? How warm is it?

Dirt unless it's had something spilled in it like motor oil or anti-freeze shouldn't be a problem - chickens live on and eat dirt all the time - it's what they do.

There are some flushes, but it would be good to know if she did ingest something so you can choose the right flush. Flushes are dehydrating, so do be aware of that as well.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/700526/flushes-for-aiding-in-toxin-removal

 

[iowacricket]

Is she able to poop at all?

So they are still in a brooder inside? How warm is it?

Dirt unless it's had something spilled in it like motor oil or anti-freeze shouldn't be a problem - chickens live on and eat dirt all the time - it's what they do.

There are some flushes, but it would be good to know if she did ingest something so you can choose the right flush. Flushes are dehydrating, so do be aware of that as well.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/700526/flushes-for-aiding-in-toxin-removal

She hasn't pooped since I found her this morning, so I don't know if she's able to. The eight other chicks are still inside the brooder with a heat lamp at 75F. We cleaned out their bedding and put down new pine shavings this morning. The sick chick is in a storage tub and it's around 70F in there. Definitely no motor oil or anti-freeze in the run. Other than what they find in the run, they get chick feed and sometimes mashed up hard boiled egg yolk.

I'm really worried about her, so thanks for all your advice!

 

[iowacricket]

Is she able to poop at all?

So they are still in a brooder inside? How warm is it?

Dirt unless it's had something spilled in it like motor oil or anti-freeze shouldn't be a problem - chickens live on and eat dirt all the time - it's what they do.

There are some flushes, but it would be good to know if she did ingest something so you can choose the right flush. Flushes are dehydrating, so do be aware of that as well.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/700526/flushes-for-aiding-in-toxin-removal

She finally pooped a little bit ago. There are some brownish red spots in there - do you think that's blood? She drank a little bit of water from the eye dropper, which she swallowed okay.

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry about your sick pullet. Could she have fallen or sustained a head injury? I would probably bump the heat back up to 75-80, since she may not be able to maintain her body temperature due to this illness. How much over 4 weeks is she exactly? Mareks would be very rare this age especially in a brooder, but it is possible after the age of 3 weeks. It usually is seen in chickens a few weeks older up to 6 months or older. I would make sure that she is getting enough water, and some electrolytes with vitamins or a couple of drops of Poultry NutriDrench or Poultry Cell daily would be good. I hope that she gets better. If you should lose her, I would contact your state poultry lab here from this list to get a neceopsy and testing:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm