A plethora of problems

[BigChickHeart]

I'm not sure where to start with this little guy or girl. First of all it was peeping, but the egg wasn't moving. It was stuck to the floor of the incubator. Then, I had to do an assisted hatch. I didn't fully help it out, but just loosened up its shell so he could get out when he was ready. Then, it never got dry and fluffy. I had to give it a bath to loosen up the membrane. I thought being sticky was why it wasn't standing up. Like maybe its feathers were glued in a way that it couldn't move right. It was constantly getting one of its wings stuck between the floor of the incubator and the edge. I decided to move it out of the incubator so it wouldn't hurt itself.

Here's the list of issues it has:
Splayed leg, or slipped tendon, or dislocated legs. A splint didn't hep.
Wings are too small
Wry neck – this is almost fixed with vitamins
Its eyes seem really small

It eats if I hold it in my hand. Otherwise, its legs and wings are going all over the place and it can't keep itself still. It eats like a maniac – stabbing at the food and slinging it everywhere. It will drink from a straw, sometimes from a medicine cup, or my hand.





I have some pics and videos. It's hard to keep it still long enough to get a good pic. There are a few where its legs are wet from having to wash off poo. You can see the leg structure better in those. I circled the spot that sticks out funny.

 

[Fallenone05]

With the problems listed, I think this guy is a little developmentally stunted/didn't form correctly in the egg. It might be a special needs chick if you decide not to cull it and it makes it without help.

If it were me, with it's development issues, I'd cull. There was a chick I had hatch this year that made it a week before it died of natural causes. I should have culled it sooner.

 

[BigChickHeart]

I was afraid of this answer. I hope that it has an internal issue and will pass away soon. I just can't do it.
It's kinda funny to watch. It will go around in circles like a one legged duck trying to swim.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I was afraid of this answer. I hope that it has an internal issue and will pass away soon. I just can't do it.
It's kinda funny to watch. It will go around in circles like a one legged duck trying to swim.

I had two CornishX chicks with similar problems. If you know this breed, they are incredibly fast growers, heavy, and ready for butcher at 8 weeks. Anyway, two of these chicks couldn't stand. They'd windmill themselves in circles until they rubbed all the down off their bellies. Couldn't get to food or water. Splayed legs that refused to respond to treatment. So I put them in a hospital brooder with individual food and water dishes, made a sort-of pocket with soft towels and rolled up washcloths, and put each in their own little bed. I situated them in such a way their legs were wedged against the wall of the brooder or a washcloth, so they could push themselves around a bit and get exercise. I helped them to food and water several times a day. They thrived and grew, just couldn't get up on their feet. And I gave them a humane ending before going into the frypan.

 

[BigChickHeart]

I had two CornishX chicks with similar problems. If you know this breed, they are incredibly fast growers, heavy, and ready for butcher at 8 weeks. Anyway, two of these chicks couldn't stand. They'd windmill themselves in circles until they rubbed all the down off their bellies. Couldn't get to food or water. Splayed legs that refused to respond to treatment. So I put them in a hospital brooder with individual food and water dishes, made a sort-of pocket with soft towels and rolled up washcloths, and put each in their own little bed. I situated them in such a way their legs were wedged against the wall of the brooder or a washcloth, so they could push themselves around a bit and get exercise. I helped them to food and water several times a day. They thrived and grew, just couldn't get up on their feet. And I gave them a humane ending before going into the frypan.

I bought two CornishX before I knew what they were. The growth rate is out of this world amazing! At the time, we weren't set up for processing. They both died from, I suspect, heart attacks at around 16 weeks.

There is good news on my baby. I have been doing the cup trick where you make them stand in a cup and exercise their legs. I've also put it out in the yard to get some sunshine. The rough texture seems to be what it needs. It's now standing on its own and even taking a few steps!
The next step is working on those curled toes!

 

[BigChickHeart]

Here's an update on Hope. She us almost normal now! She has a couple of wonky toes and is smaller than everyone else, but she gets around great. The other chick in these photos is a week younger than her.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

That's good news! Thanks for the update

 

[Fallenone05]

Here's an update on Hope. She us almost normal now! She has a couple of wonky toes and is smaller than everyone else, but she gets around great. The other chick in these photos is a week younger than her.

I was wondering about an update? Did she catch up or is she still tiny?