6 Week Old chick suddenly wobbly **UPDATE

Ket004

In the Brooder
5 Years
Apr 28, 2014
15
0
22
I just moved my four 9 week old and three 6 week olds inside the coop in a separate grow out pen. They've been in there for almost a week now and were doing fine (other than managing to tip their waterer no matter how I hung or set it
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) but this morning one of the younger ones was crouched down and wobbly on its feet.

It can walk/run, but looks almost like its crawling and plunks down when it stops. She's eating and drinking fine and seems lively enough, so I'm looking for opinions.

For anything involving a chick's legs, people immediately go towards Mareks. She's a little younger than the age I've read that hits, but I won't cross that out. I hatched her myself from shipped eggs, and all my adult chickens are healthy (I have a small flock of 12 adults).
The four nine week olds came from a poultry swap though. They were vaccinated and are completely healthy, but who knows if they carried anything. I had kept them separate until a couple weeks ago but put them together because I figured it'd be easier to introduce them now than later.

I threw some nutri drench in their water and made sure she drank, and I checked over her legs for anything obvious, but not seeing anything. I will bring her home tonight to be able to monitor her and her droppings better. Going to treat it as a vitamin deficiency for right now, and see if there is any change.

Anyone else have this?
 
Just went and checked on her. She seems a little worse. When I set her down she just falls over, can walk a tiny bit if I force her, but otherwise struggles.
She's totally alert and vocal though. She pushes against my hand with her legs to try and escape me so it's not like she's paralyzed. She can open and close her toes and move her legs if prompted. I checked her entire legs for any swelling and am not seeing any.
 
At that age, and with different aged birds, I would probably treat them all for possible coccidiosis. Chicks with cocci will eventually stop eating, then drinking, and are lethargic, weak, have diarrhea or blood streaks in droppings, may look puffed up or hunched, and have ruffled feathers. The best treatment is Corid (amprollium) which is a cattle medicine. Dosage is 2 tsp of the liquid Corid, or 1.5 tsp of the powder Corid per gallon of water for 5-7 days. Then giving several days of vitamins and probiotics are recommended. If you don't feel that it is cocci, then really force the fluids. Nutri-Drench can be given 1 ml orally to the sick one each day.
 
She doesn't have any of those symptoms really... just cant walk. :/
I moved them into the coop last Saturday, and up till then there was nothing strange fecal wise. I saw the sick chick poop earlier and it was one of the healthiest looking I've seen. She's still all about the food and water so I don't know. I did individually give her a little bit of Nutri drench this morning, so I'll follow up with that tomorrow.

I will keep an eye out for cocci though. Not ruling anything out.
 
So after a day in quarantine being given nutri drench, she was able to stand and hold her balance.

Over the last couple days though that's been the only improvement. She is still wobbly when walking and is making almost a purring/clicking type noise. If she tries to preen or stretch out one leg, she falls over.

Poop looks good and she's eating and drinking fine.
Do you think it's maybe something neurological? I'm wondering maybe if the full waterer had fallen on her or something.. since they had kept knocking it down.
 

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