chick can't stand, walk, or hold head up

[nolancrawford23]

My black silkie chicken was born this morning and isn't looking great. It can't walk and it just kind of hops and flaps around. I checked and it doesn't have splayed leg, crooked toes or perosis. It also doesn't really hold it's head up, he has held it up but mostly it's head is just facing down against the pine shavings. I would love to know if there is anything I could do about it. Also, the chick was born without hair on the back of its neck, would that be anything of concern?

 

[Kkrista123]

Hello, so sorry to hear you are going through this. I went through this with all 14 chickens gifted to me for free by a 1st grade class at a local elementary school that hatched them and then had no place to send them. I being the crazy animal person I am, drove over to the school and ended up converting my whole shed into a coop the same day. They were all very sickly and unfortunate half of them passed right in a row. The ones that survived were the ones that would allow me to force feed them water constantly with very very small amount occasional feed. Good luck and I hope for the best! (Not I mention 2 of mine had splayed leg and the teacher never did anything about it so when I got them, they were too old to correct.) That story makes me angry to this day. If she didn’t know poultry or have a place to send them after, why subject them to the cruel conditions of being hatched in an elementary school and holding them there for a few weeks.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have some Save AChick to add to the water, or can you give a couple of drops of Poultry NutriDrench? You might want to pad a coffee cup and place the chick inside to stand it up to get it to use it’s legs. It sounds like it has wry neck, and that is treated with vitamin E, thiamine or B1, and selenium which are in Poultry NutriDrench. I would get it tomorrow if you don’t have it, and give it 1 ml daily.

 

[nolancrawford23]

Thanks for all the help!

 

[nolancrawford23]

Do you have some Save AChick to add to the water, or can you give a couple of drops of Poultry NutriDrench? You might want to pad a coffee cup and place the chick inside to stand it up to get it to use it’s legs. It sounds like it has wry neck, and that is treated with vitamin E, thiamine or B1, and selenium which are in Poultry NutriDrench. I would get it tomorrow if you don’t have it, and give it 1 ml daily.

so would I put the mug in the brooder with light on it?

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, I would.

 

[nolancrawford23]

Yes, I would.

but wouldn't the other chicks in the brooder knock it over?

 

[Eggcessive]

A ceramic coffee mug would be pretty heavy. How old are the other chicks? Separarte him if you need to, but keep him warm.

 

[nolancrawford23]

there all a day old, I guess a ceramic would be sturdy enough

 

[Eggcessive]

Look at post 5 for pics of chick chairs where you can put food and water in front of them:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/