Baby chick can’t Walk All of a Sudden

[VickyS]

A few things to try:

First, put some sugar in its water. Dip its beak and get it started drinking. A chick can sometimes develop low glucose and the effect is leg weakness.

It can also be a form of wry neck. Wry neck is a vitamin E deficiency and doesn't always affect the neck. It's neurological and can affect the nerves along the spinal column. Open an E capsule and squeeze the oil over some soft boiled egg. Do this each day trying to get all the oil from the capsule into the chick.

Thanks, I'm going to try this in the morning, I have a 6 week old that is not walking right. No other symptoms.

 

[Weebiddy]

Poulty nutri drench administered straight to the beak. dripped directly below the nostrils the chick will swallow when it rolls around into the mouth.. does not need to be absorbed via digestion in order to work.

Noting I think azygous is spot on with the wry neck and eneregy.. consideration.. perhaps the chick is not connecting with the food (obviously right now) and therefor now suffering multiple symptoms of failure.. with no way to get energy/fluid on board to recover..

The pasty butt slows down the crop and everything else, causing organ failure.. not eating and also not having any more egg yolk on board after day 3 ish.. means nutrient deficiency may be kicking in now.. Dehydration will also surely be taking it's toll.

How is the chicks crop at this point? Is it squishy, hard, or flat?

If it's flat then you might try offering a little raw egg yolk as emergency boost. This means holding it and maybe dipping it's beak.

For me.. the chick is starving to death right now.. that don't happen on my watch.. so if there's no hope of connecting with food and/or improvement.. I would cull. Some folks will tube feed.. IF crop appears to be functioning.

If you can't get the nutri drench.. administer the electrolyte water in the same manner described.. hold the chick in the bend of the hand with beak facing the bend in your forefinger and place small drop just below the nostrils.. using your bent forefinger to help direct the drop and the beak together.

Your post help save my chick. Even though the post is almost 3 years old, I found it through a search. Used the nutri drench as you directed and now my chick is back up walking, eating and drinking.