Chick can't stand up or walk

[peakpoultry]

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I would, I had a couple of splayed legged and I kept having to sit them back up and give them food and water. Hopefully by tomorrow he/she will be up walking around.

 

[navywife22]

I have to keep sitting it back up too and giving it water. I ended up having to put it in it's own brooder by itself. The other 7 chicks keep pecking at it and stepping all over him.

I surely hope it starts standing and walking.

 

[threehorses]

You will need to make sure that he eats - even if that means you feed him. Be assured that he will not be eating dry crumbles. Give him some that are wetted til just damp, til they soften. Mix 1-2 drops of Enfamil baby vitamins (polyvisol without added iron) into the water you use to dampen a very small amount of the crumbles. 1 teaspoon of water, 1 teaspoon of crumbles, 1-2 drops PolyVisol. You can feed him (and the others) all a little of that plus a tiny bit of the yolk from a boiled egg, and a tiny bit of yogurt once weekly to help them really absorb their nutrition and get good nutrients. (1 teaspoon per six chicks of this age of the plain unflavored yogurt - about 1 teaspoon of boiled egg yolk after it's mixed with water into a paste - mix those two together, sprinkle with crumbles or mix with crumbles with the vitaminized water)

Spraddle leg from hatch like this - with splayed legs not caused by slippery footing - can be caused by conditions from before hatch. Some can be nutritional, others can be from too-cold incubation/broody temperatures I believe (don't quote me on that). In any case, keeping him upright and nourished will be the most important things you can do. So I hope the above will help.

I hope he does well for you!

 

[navywife22]

Thanks threehorses! I make sure it gets water and have been trying to feed it. He still falls over to the side.

It is really upsetting me. I know it may sound silly....but I am seriously upset and he is trying so hard and doesn't seem to be getting better. Well, it kind of took a couple steps but then fell over. I guess I just wait and see. I had to prop him up between two stuffed animals otherwise he will constantly be on his side.

 

[peakpoultry]

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I know it's extremely sad to watch! I had to do the same thing with the stuffed animals. Hopefully your chick will be better soon. I'm sorry.

 

[navywife22]

Thank you! I really hope it gets better. It curls it's toes like it's trying to grip something when it tries to walk, then they go flat and he falls over, but when it's sleep the toes are laying flat like the other chicks.

Do I leg the bandaid on it's legs until it actually walks on its own and how long should I keep trying? He isn't even 24 hours old yet.

Should I put something on his toes too?? This is my first time with hatching and baby chicks.

 

[peakpoultry]

Quote:
I left mine on for a couple of weeks. I'm not sure about the toes, if they are curled when trying to walk you may have to.

 

[navywife22]

Mine still can't hold his body weight on his legs. Is this normal when they have spraddle leg or whatever it's called? I just don't want to do something that just isn't going to work. He leans and falls over no matter what. He just doesn't have the strength in his legs to hold his body. I am going to get the vitamins I read about to give him and the other chicks etc...The little fellow has determination...I am just so stressed out over it and exhausted. I have to come in here every 30 minutes and pick him up off his side.

And he is all alone since the other chicks trample him and peck him.

 

[LA~Poulet]

He has 3 days worth of yolk in him, give him a little time. I felt the same anguish last time, it is so agonizing to not be able to help them!

In our recent (first) hatch we had one that couldn't stand, it had a bent neck and was really pitiful, it would kick and try and looked totally deformed. By the second day it was getting its feet underneath itself (but barely) and would fall over. I decided to cull it the next day, when its yolk supply would be running out, and continued to dip its beak in water periodically. By the third day it would walk a few steps and fall over, so I gave it one more day. The fourth day it stood and I saw it peck at the chick starter on the ground. (I was giving it water but not food).

Now at 3 weeks old it is almost indistiguishable from the other chicks, except it's neck is still just a little bent, like it is shrugging its head down a little. Healthy & doing great, getting around fine.

 

[navywife22]

Thanks! I will just try to be patient. Not one of my strong points, I'm afraid. LOL I will give it more time afterall he is a day and a half old.