Baby BO seems to not have balance and chirps oddly (video)

[BryceR]

I think she's about a week and a half old. She has a few wing feathers but the rest is still fuzz. We got her with the rest of our new flock this past Saturday and she has been doing this for the past two days. She seems to have lost a bit of balance and is chirping funny. She keeps her mouth open and her eyes closed a lot and when she walks she has to catch herself from falling over. She also lays on the ground kind of with her wings out and her legs splayed apart most of the time doing that gaspy chirp thing. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks
- Bryce

 

[Granny Hatchet]

what are u feeding? seems like she is choking or mabey ate some thing she shouldnt? as far as the balance goes, thats alot of room for a baby if this is where she stays. is she getting medicated feed?

 

[BryceR]

We started them on regular chick starter for a couple days because everywhere around my house was out of medicated. Today I drove about 100 miles round trip to pick some up, so as of today they went to medicated chick starter. The bedding is course small gravel, I sifted construction sand to get the smaller stuff and dust out because I though she was sneezing. The video was taken on my garage floor so I could get all the other chicks to not peck my phone. She lives with 12 others in a Rubbermaid container.

 

[Eggcessive]

I'm not sure what is causing her to chirp constantly. Make sure it is warm but not too warm (have a cooler spot in brooder), and check her for pasty butt. She is splay legged for sure, and I would put a bandaid hobble on her legs quickly. This usually needs to be done before 3 days old, but i would still do it. Here is a link for how: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/spraddle-leg-in-baby-chicks-what-is-it.html

 

[Granny Hatchet]

ive never heard of using construction gravel before. couldnt that mean that it might have concrete or other things in it that would harm a chick? also eating too much of it and not enough feed would make it weak enough to stumble and choke on it

 

[Granny Hatchet]

is it common to use construction gravel?

 

[BryceR]

Its construction sand that has been sifted so what's left is gravel about the size of aquarium gravel now. All the other chicks are fine. I have the heat lamp over one side and its right at 93 degrees right under the lamp. The other side of the bin is about 83 - 85. They sleep all spread out so I don't think its to hot in there. Her vent is clear and her stool seems to be normal. Iv been giving her water from a dropper and she eats the starter with warm water and mashed up meal worms.
when we picked her up from the store she was fine. No splayed legs or anything. I noticed something a little off with her sunday night and its just been about the same since monday morning.
I just went in to check on her and all the other ones are sleeping and she's sitting there chirping slowly with her eyes closed. Every few minutes she has what I can olnly describe as a "spaz attack" and flaps her wings and jumps up then settles back down.

 

[BryceR]

I taped her legs with a bandaid like in the website Eggcessive linked (thanks!!) and she seems to be doing a little better already. It took some bribing with a meal worm to get her to walk with it and not just sit there and peck the bandaid but she at least made it to the water jug and drank a bunch so that's a step in the right direction. Ill keep my fingers crossed and she how she is in the morning. Thanks for the help so far everyone!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

The bandaid hobble really works. I have a 2 1/2 year old banty rooster that was fixed up using it. I left his on for 3 days, but I think a week might be best if yours can tolerate it. Just cut it in the middle in case you need to tape it back together. Their muscles have usually strengthen by this time to keep the legs together. If the chirping behavior continues, I might try putting paper towels down in the brooder for a few days to see if getting off the sand makes a difference. Chicks will eat their litter, and she may have some in her crop.

 

[Vyraal]

From the video, and my own personal experience, it does look like the chick is choking on something and struggling to breathe, but chirping because thats what chicks do. Gently massage its neck and crop to see if you can find a blockage, and if so, remove that awful bedding so the rest of the chicks dont ingest it and spend a little time trying to loosen the blockage with water and rubs.