7 week old chick is sick

[moodybubbles]

i only have the one surviving chick. I was keeping it in a pet carrier with straw bedding inside my laundry room. He outgrew that setup so I moved the chick and a wounded hen that was better to the coop with my flock.

It has been in the coop with my other hens and rooster for 4-5 days now. Today I found the lone surviving chick laying on the floor with its head stuck in the corner. It can't walk. Falls over. Seems like something is wrong with its right foot but I see nothing visually wrong. Looks the same as the left foot.

I tried to offer just the chick his normal chick feed but mostly he was free ranging and had layer pellets in the coop.

Is it sick? Or could layer pellets affect his health like this either because he can't actually eat them or he shouldn't eat them? He is about half the size of a full chicken. I didn't realize how young he was still until I looked back to the date he was hatched.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would place the chick in a cage in the coop with the others, with food and water (chick feed.) You might also put some poultry vitamins in the water in case there is a vitamin deficiency causing the problems, but he might have been pecked or hurt. Wait until he is near the same size to put him out with the others, and let them free range together first. If you need more advice about it's leg you may want to post a picture of it standing.

 

[moodybubbles]

It won't stand but I can try to get a pic. I see no damage to him whatsoever. No blood.

 

[moodybubbles]

I put this one and the other chick that hatched at the same time out in the coop 2 weeks ago and a snake had half the other chick down its throat before an hour had even passed. I had them in a 4x4 space separate from the bigger chickens. So a cage in the coop may not work out so well. I thought they were big enough then. He had been snuggling with the hen he was attached to and was doing well out there.

 

[moodybubbles]

 

[moodybubbles]

I have it in my laundry room again. AC must be feeling good now since it is 100 outside.

 

[moodybubbles]

And I thought it was better so I let it free range with my other chickens the last week or so but brought it back to the infirmary for the night. Yes day I see him out there barely able to walk again and a dog on its tail since it appeared wounded.

Only the leg seems to be the problem but he now isn't eating as much or cheeping like he used to. He always creeped when he saw food and ate heartily but after yesterday's issue he is acting sick again.

Is there some foot issue that he will never get over. Such as when he runs a bit (from the other chickens or whatever) he hurts his foot almost every time?