Chick looks...wrong?

[WoodsOfWashington]

Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone can help me with a slight chick dilemma. My Gold Laced chick has been looking unhappy for the last day, but I can't find any real likely cause.
She had her mouth open, and was panting a little, but none of the other chicks in her same area seem overheated, so I don't think that's the problem. And they are indoors, so I gather gapeworm shouldn't be the issue. Her beak is redder on the tip than anyone else's too.
She seems sort of lethargic, and spends most of her time just laying on the bottom sort of flattened out. But if the other chicks are active, she will occasionally get up, and then she seems fine for a little bit.
Weirdest of all, she just looks the wrong shape all of a sudden. Instead of being sort of flat and horizontal like the other little gals, this chick is suddenly more round and upright looking. She resembles a ping-pong ball on legs more than a chicken now. Her wings seem sort of tucked up too far, and her chest looks like it sticks out further. Hopefully the pics will help me explain this better. Does anyone have any idea what I am looking at here?

I'm hoping that this isn't a way they will all look while they are in an awkward stage, and I am making an idiot of myself.

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Hmm...have you ever fed them worms? Anything from outside? I can't tell from the picture, she looks like a normal chicken shape from it.

 

[Tala]

Is it's possible that she's slightly younger?

I find younger chicks to look kinda funny shaped at first, and of course they aren't very active. In my experience it's like they magically come alive when they get closer to a week old, and get louder! lol

 

[Sequin]

Maybe she ate something that she is not digesting well? Does she have a pasty butt? Make sure there is an area of shade in the brooder - others might not be hot, but each chick is different and being that she is black she will absorb the heat more/faster. Too, make certain that she is drinking enough water regularly so she doesn't become dehydrated. I hope things will go well for the both of you!!! I just lost one last night for some unknown reason, it is always a sad event!!

 

[WoodsOfWashington]

Update: First, thank you to everyone who replied. It seems like this particular chick is actually having some trouble with her legs/feet, and that is probably the reason she sits down most of the time. I noticed that when she walks, her feet do not contract, or pull together the way the other chicks do. She walks completely flat footed, and doesn't seem to be able to wrap her feet around a roost properly either. Is that something any of you helpful folks have ever encountered?

 

[lovinlife]

I haven't dealt with anything like that. Is she still doing okay, eating and drinking water?

 

[joanie_maine]

Quote:
A roost?

Seems to me that she looks too young to be roosting. Perhaps her feet are a result of her hatching time.

But beyond that, it's important that she and the other chicks have something on the floor of the brooder for traction. If their feet slip and slide, it's not a good thing. I use girt to cover the surface of the newspaper. And I mix chick starter into the grit too, so they can learn to forage.

Good feet need TRACTION!

 

[Chicken Chaperone]

I'm seeing newspaper underneath your babies, yes? Does your little one have some cloth or a towel or something that she can grab onto and
get some traction that might help her walk a bit? It seems to me that I've heard here that newspaper can be a problem- too slippery for some chicks to walk well.

Please, someone correct me if I'm remembering that wrong. I hope somebody here can give you some great advice and info that'll help.

to you and your baby!

edit to say- it looks like Joanie beat me to the 'post reply' button.

!

 

[WoodsOfWashington]

None of the chicks are old enough to roost properly yet, but they do like to try, and when they walk, I can also see the muscles in their feet work as they pick them up. This little one's feet muscles don't seem to be working at all. Her feet kind of flop around when she walks, like someone wearing scuba flippers. Not sure of any better way to describe that.

The majority of their cage is newspaper covered in pine shavings, so they have fine traction. I just keep the area right against the feeder and waterer free of shavings so the bowls don't fill up right away. She is eating and drinking fine, but her feathers are growing in a little slower than everyone else. As long as no-one else here thinks this is a sign of some dread disease I haven't heard of, I won't worry about it too much. They are layers and pets, so as long as she is happy and comfortable, I'm fine with it. Thanks again for all the help.