Chick backing up after drinking.

[RoyalChick]

Thoughts on this food?
Silkie and Ornamental Chick Starter Grower

I actually bought a bag from Tractor Supply, thinking it would be easier for them to eat, then realized the 24% protein seemed insane. BUT, it's marketed as having "Thiamine (Vit B1), Selenium, and Vitamin E". I guess Silkies tend to be vitamin deficient? I also have a runt that could possibly benefit from the protein.

Looks delicious. You’ve got the fat soluble vitamins included so you could cut the rooster booster and just add some human vitamin B complex. Weirdly it only has one of the ‘Bs’ - but as I said earlier, supplementing with B complex is safe and easy to do.

 

[thecatumbrella]

just add some human vitamin B complex

I'm trying to find one that doesn't have too many other things added. A near impossibility with anything nowadays!

Thanks so much for your help.

 

[RoyalChick]

I'm trying to find one that doesn't have too many other things added. A near impossibility with anything nowadays!

Thanks so much for your help.

I wouldn’t worry too much about human vitamin b complex. I just got what was o. The shelf at CVS.

 

[SourRoses]

Thoughts on this food?
Silkie and Ornamental Chick Starter Grower

I actually bought a bag from Tractor Supply, thinking it would be easier for them to eat, then realized the 24% protein seemed insane. BUT, it's marketed as having "Thiamine (Vit B1), Selenium, and Vitamin E". I guess Silkies tend to be vitamin deficient? I also have a runt that could possibly benefit from the protein.

It's a good food, I feed it to all of mine now (not silkies or bantams), they are doing really well on it.
The only reason it seems "extra" is because feeds are normally designed to meet minimums. But this feed does not exceed any studied maximums.
I'm seeing excellent growth and feather quality in my chicks on it, and it's less messy due to the crumble shape and lack of dust. I switch them to our regular crumble (cheaper) when they get to the really messy age.

I actually came for the thread title to say it sounds like a B Vitamin deficiency. I have seen the walking backwards before in chicks of a breed prone to deficiency.
Notice how it happens after leaning forward? Or even stumbling on something? I seems to be their way of regaining balance. But this is the early stage of it, without treatment they become less coordinated / wry neck. Sometimes, if the issue is genetic (rather than a result of the hens diet who laid the egg) it cannot be helped. But most of the time it can. So make sure she has her B vitamins and don't use medicated feed / corid (amprolium).

 

[thecatumbrella]

I'm seeing excellent growth and feather quality in my chicks on it, and it's less messy due to the crumble shape and lack of dust.

I love the shape! It makes it much easier for them to forage it out of the litter or hand feed. I do have corid on hand if we were to have a coccidiosis problem, so we'll retire the medicated feed.

That's an interesting point about leaning forward, because I've seen her also do it coming out from the heat plate (where she needs to flatten herself slightly).

Thanks to all the excellent advice, I'll go ahead and get the b-vitamins and mix it into some mash for the whole group.

Willow (little miss back up) and I thank everyone for their help. BYC is the GOAT!

 

[RoyalChick]

I love the shape! It makes it much easier for them to forage it out of the litter or hand feed. I do have corid on hand if we were to have a coccidiosis problem, so we'll retire the medicated feed.

That's an interesting point about leaning forward, because I've seen her also do it coming out from the heat plate (where she needs to flatten herself slightly).

Thanks to all the excellent advice, I'll go ahead and get the b-vitamins and mix it into some mash for the whole group.

Willow (little miss back up) and I thank everyone for their help. BYC is the GOAT!

Just a heads up. The B vitamins will turn the mash yellow. For some reason my chicks thought the yellow mash was the best and if I didn’t mix it in evenly they would fight to eat the yellow mash!
For context I learned all this vitamin B stuff because I had a chick who lost the use of her legs. She was on high doses of vitamin B2 (and sometimes the other Bs) for about six weeks. She went on to be the boss hen, and had unusually long legs!

 

[Sic]

I have a hen that uses reverse any time she doesn't like something. Sometimes it is something she ate, sometimes it's attention from a roo, sometimes to avoid altercation with other hens... surprisingly she's really fast in reverse. I was fascinated at first and thought there was something wrong with her, but eh, it's just her quirky personality and she's never outgrown it.

 

[RoyalChick]

I have a hen that uses reverse any time she doesn't like something. Sometimes it is something she ate, sometimes it's attention from a roo, sometimes to avoid altercation with other hens... surprisingly she's really fast in reverse. I was fascinated at first and thought there was something wrong with her, but eh, it's just her quirky personality and she's never outgrown it.

Bet she would be good at parallel parking too!

 

[thecatumbrella]

I have a hen that uses reverse any time she doesn't like something.

It does remind me of a kid trying a lemon for the first time. Your girl sounds like one of a kind!

 

[thecatumbrella]

@RoyalChick @SourRoses
I've got my b-complex softgels. Last question would be, how often am I offering it in mash? Once or twice a day, etc? She was in such rough shape tonight. It's hard to watch.