I have a 7 day old chick that has zero interest in food and cant walk properly. It stands strange, very upright and straight. Its legs are perfectly straight and the babies hobbled around on his toes insted of bending his hocks. It takes the baby hours to settle down and sleep, bending the legs to lay down seems very difficult. The baby also screams literally all day and night.
Here's the history, this is a black and white polish that I hatched myself. The adults are 1 yr old. Half way through the incubation my incubator broke and was throwing temps from 93 to 102. Keeping it steady was impossible and out of 20 fertile eggs only 4 babies hatched. The polish chick was stuck in a fully zipped egg for 8 hours till I decided to assist. She came out looking good but the next morning I noticed she was struggling to walk. I waited half the day and noticed that her feet were curled in. So I taped her feet in booties to straighten her toes out for about a 36 hour period. After that her feet were great, I gave her a day to relearn how to walk again. Now around day 4 I noticed she wasnt eating like the others. She would walk around the cage with very stiff straight legs, favoring the right side. She screamed and placed for hours and hours. She was so uncoordinated she took several nose dives trying to drink water, I raised the waterer after that but became very concerned with possible splayed leg or slipped tendon. The splayed leg seemed unlikely, her feet were normal distance. She had ramrod straight legs and never played down. Pretty much the opposite of everything I read. The tendon I checked but I couldnt see or feel anything wrong. I got worried enough to wrap the legs to be safe at the joint on the weak side, and together at the bottom incase it was splayed. I put her in a homemade sling and she stayed in that for two days. The entire time she was in the sling I was giving her liquid mix of chick medicated crumble, sugar water and egg yoke with a dropper. She wouldn't eat on her own but had no issues with drinking. While in the sling shed go into fits of rage and slam her head into the trey of food and water, making a mess.
Today is day 7 of this situation, I removed her from the sling this morning and she looks no different. Like a skinny little stork screaming away and bashing into everything. Sadly she hasn't grown much at all compared to her siblings, who have been with her the whole time (she was in a small tub to keep them at a safe distance). Temps in brooder have been good, shavings for bedding, everyone else is thriving. Me and my fiance are ready to give up but I wanted to see if anyone on here had further wisdom to share or if this poor baby should be put to rest. It's hard for us because shes full of energy, but wont eat and the legs are a serious issue.
Here's the history, this is a black and white polish that I hatched myself. The adults are 1 yr old. Half way through the incubation my incubator broke and was throwing temps from 93 to 102. Keeping it steady was impossible and out of 20 fertile eggs only 4 babies hatched. The polish chick was stuck in a fully zipped egg for 8 hours till I decided to assist. She came out looking good but the next morning I noticed she was struggling to walk. I waited half the day and noticed that her feet were curled in. So I taped her feet in booties to straighten her toes out for about a 36 hour period. After that her feet were great, I gave her a day to relearn how to walk again. Now around day 4 I noticed she wasnt eating like the others. She would walk around the cage with very stiff straight legs, favoring the right side. She screamed and placed for hours and hours. She was so uncoordinated she took several nose dives trying to drink water, I raised the waterer after that but became very concerned with possible splayed leg or slipped tendon. The splayed leg seemed unlikely, her feet were normal distance. She had ramrod straight legs and never played down. Pretty much the opposite of everything I read. The tendon I checked but I couldnt see or feel anything wrong. I got worried enough to wrap the legs to be safe at the joint on the weak side, and together at the bottom incase it was splayed. I put her in a homemade sling and she stayed in that for two days. The entire time she was in the sling I was giving her liquid mix of chick medicated crumble, sugar water and egg yoke with a dropper. She wouldn't eat on her own but had no issues with drinking. While in the sling shed go into fits of rage and slam her head into the trey of food and water, making a mess.
Today is day 7 of this situation, I removed her from the sling this morning and she looks no different. Like a skinny little stork screaming away and bashing into everything. Sadly she hasn't grown much at all compared to her siblings, who have been with her the whole time (she was in a small tub to keep them at a safe distance). Temps in brooder have been good, shavings for bedding, everyone else is thriving. Me and my fiance are ready to give up but I wanted to see if anyone on here had further wisdom to share or if this poor baby should be put to rest. It's hard for us because shes full of energy, but wont eat and the legs are a serious issue.
