Chick falling back on haunches

[Ilovechickens2525]

Hello, this boy has suddenly started falling back on his haunches. He is 8 weeks old today, I hatched him myself so has not been exposed to other chickens elsewhere. No other chickens are experiencing symptoms to make me think they could have mareks.

We moved him and 4 other older chicks in with our flock of hens on Friday. Things have gone relatively well, but the big hens have been getting to food water first and chasing them away at times and there’s been some pecking. The chicks have been spending more time in the coop than the run. The other chicks are all doing fine.

There are no signs of physical injury. He can stand and walk a bit, but when I put him down he does want to flop down. His neck turns normally, not walking backwards or flipping over.

He’s been switched from chick started to grower feed for the past week. I have been giving him nutridrench since this started yesterday and added vitamin B crushed up and mixed in today to try that today. He’s still doing the same thing. If a deficiency is the issue how long would it take to see improvement?

I just moved him in with these little ones pictured yesterday so he’s not alone.

 

[Eggcessive]

It could be riboflavin deficiency or weakness. What do the poops look like? What vitamin B do you have? He needs riboflavin B2 especially. Human B complex has it, and Poultry Cell do as well. Read your label. Some people think B12 have all B’s, but it only has B12. Is ther pe any way you can make a feeding station only for the little ones, where the bigger chickens can’t get into? I would feed him separately with some B complex 1/4 tablet daily. Crush it into a spoonful of water and give it to him with a dropper or crush it on a little egg or wet feed.

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

It could be riboflavin deficiency or weakness. What do the poops look like? What vitamin B do you have? He needs riboflavin B2 especially. Human B complex has it, and Poultry Cell do as well. Read your label. Some people think B12 have all B’s, but it only has B12. Is ther pe any way you can make a feeding station only for the little ones, where the bigger chickens can’t get into? I would feed him separately with some B complex 1/4 tablet daily. Crush it into a spoonful of water and give it to him with a dropper or crush it on a little egg or wet feed.

It is B2 that we have, I’ve been mixing that in with my nurtridrench (which does not have B in it). He likes that and loves scrambled egg. Eating it up and looking alert. But no improvement in his standing.

 

[Eggcessive]

Hopefully, he will start improving within a couple more days. The earlier the riboflavin is started the better the chances of recovery. Let us know how he gets along.

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

He is probably 80-90% better now! Walking, but stumbles the odd time.

I can’t believe it, I was so worried. Amazing how just those extra vitamins made such a difference. Hope others see this thread and feel some hope it they end up in a similar situation !

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

Hopefully, he will start improving within a couple more days. The earlier the riboflavin is started the better the chances of recovery. Let us know how he gets along.

Thank you so much for your help. Very good to know it has to be B2. Hope others see this thread and know to have it on hand in their chicken first aid kits. He’s so much better now, I think he’ll make a full recovery.

 

[Eggcessive]

So happy for you that he is doing better.

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

So happy for you that he is doing better.

I put him back in the coop too early I think. He didn’t have a great day today, was stumbling more than he had been and seemed stressed.

Tonight I moved him back into the brooder pen he’d been staying in with a small group of five week old chicks.

I guess it’s a long road to recovery for them… he seemed so much better.

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

Update: he’s not falling back on his haunches at all now, and no one else has had the same symptoms in three weeks now. So I think it was just the B2 issue.

He’s still grown slower than others and more weak, I guess as a result of all this. I still have him back in a brooder but I need to get him back in the coop as his bachelor pad brooder mates need to get to a new home asap and I don’t want him alone. Hope he does ok transitioning back to the coop this time around! I still can’t give him away yet when he’s not fully thriving.

 

[Debbie292d]

Update: he’s not falling back on his haunches at all now, and no one else has had the same symptoms in three weeks now. So I think it was just the B2 issue.

He’s still grown slower than others and more weak, I guess as a result of all this. I still have him back in a brooder but I need to get him back in the coop as his bachelor pad brooder mates need to get to a new home asap and I don’t want him alone. Hope he does ok transitioning back to the coop this time around! I still can’t give him away yet when he’s not fully thriving.

It'll be good for him to be among his mates, and surely he'll be running around with them, getting good exercise, and looking no different from them soon, albeit a bit smaller perhaps.