baby chick won’t eat or drink much and has crooked toes

chickennug111

In the Brooder
Jun 24, 2025
8
35
21
my chick is mixed with bantom but I don’t know what the hen is, less than a week, old, but older than four days, the smallest chick of all of mine (I have almost 15 baby chicks right now)

I hardly ever see my chick drink or eat so I have to supervise when I try and get it to drink but I’m not ever very successful. I have never seen this chick eat with my own eyes possibly eating at night, but I have little hope.. this chick also will chirp all day until I put this chick in between my hands kind of like how a hen would lay on a chick, but in my hands.

i’d say its like three days old

no other birds are the same way

no bleeding or anything just the size and crooked toes.

we hatch at home so it might have been something gone wrong when hatching but i have no idea.

the food in the brooder is chick starter from tractor supply, and just tap water

its poop is clear, and it has bo pasty butt

ive dipped its beak in water and it has drank a very minuscule amount from that.

the bedding is pine shavings and there is a heat lamp on one side of the brooder and not on the other.



(the size of the chick compared to the others can be found in the last picture. the chick is circled.
 

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Do you have electrolytes in your water. It will help hydrate her and maybe even get her to drink more. Just make sure they have a choice of plain water as well.
Is it having a hard time walking?
You could put a baby cam in the brooder to see if it's drinking at night.
 
I would remove the chick to dropper feed it egg yolk and some electrolytes or Poultry NutriDrench. Make watery chick feed into a mush and feed that as well. The chick may not make it, but it needs nutrition now. Has it ever been able to stand and walk? Toes can be taped in a normal fashion as in the link below:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...s-with-tape-picture-tutorial-and-video.75247/
yes it can stand, but not for too long, always is laying down. yes it walks sometimes but its more of a waddle.
 
Do you have electrolytes in your water. It will help hydrate her and maybe even get her to drink more. Just make sure they have a choice of plain water as well.
Is it having a hard time walking?
You could put a baby cam in the brooder to see if it's drinking at night.
yes it is having a hard time walking normally
 
Listen to eggcessive and tape the footies! I just had to do this with a Silkie chick (who also has feathered feet) and used blue medical tape for sensitive skin. It took about 3 days, reapplying each morning. Something that really helped was making cutouts between the toes, though this is admittedly very challenging on something so small. If you act quick, she can have a normal life.
 
Listen to eggcessive and tape the footies! I just had to do this with a Silkie chick (who also has feathered feet) and used blue medical tape for sensitive skin. It took about 3 days, reapplying each morning. Something that really helped was making cutouts between the toes, though this is admittedly very challenging on something so small. If you act quick, she can have a normal life.
thank you! 😊
 

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