6th toe causing problems ...

[Pixijayne]

I have a 4day old silkie x that has a couple of issues.

The most troubling atm is it can't stand strong .. its skipping about on its toes without very much balance.

It's not really eating well, the only thing I can get it to eat in live meal worms, how many is too many - and did you know they can crawl back out of the chicks throat/mouth !?!?!?!?!

It's exhausted 90% of the time from putting in so much effort walking.

It had one toe curled under I made a shoe and its not under anymore.

What else can I do ?

 

[Pyxis]

It looks to me like it's walking around fine, I didn't see anything in that video that made it look like it was having difficulty walking. Does it always spin in circles like that?

At this age, any mealworms are too many if you're not also providing it with chick grit. What else are you trying to feed it? Mealworms should not be its whole diet. If it's having trouble I would recommend picking up some parrot formula and feeding it that out of a syringe. Don't force it down its throat, just put it in its beak and then let it swallow on its own. You can do this with a mash of chick feed too.

 

[Pixijayne]

Yes looking at the clip it dosnt show the extent its up on its toes, it dosnt really put its foot flat to walk. It will stand flat at times but never to walk.

It spins all the time, when it has a worm. Trying to run away from anyone planning to steal its catch.

I have a shallow tray with dirt in it for them as grit - will that do ? The bigger one will dust bath in it ....
I also sprinkle their small bird seed in the dirt .....

I was cutting the worms into 1/3s at one stage and putting them in the dirt so grit was being eaten at the same time.

I have mixed small bird seed, it pecks at the seed, picking some up but its really rare for it to eat any, like I have seen it eat maybe 3 seeds but it will pick at them alot, then drop them.

I have made a brown sugar and bicarb solution and little small pinches of bread soaking in that.

I have chick crumble both dry and wet, crumbled boiled egg yoke.

I have added a bird multi vitamin to the water, I toss in offerings like 1/4 of a boiled egg, half a grape, cooked broccili, a taste of watermelon.

 

[Pixijayne]