chick needs help
- Thread starter CherW
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #2
Do you mean the cord has now detached???
As for the toes, they can be fixed. How curled are they? Curled right under or just a bit crooked? If it's just a bit crooked, leave her to dry out and recover from hatch, then make chick shoes. If they are curled right under and she seems to be exhausting herself trying to get up, you can make the shoes earlier.
To make shoes....cut out a triangle of thin card (like a cereal box) that is the same size as her feet would be if they were normal. Place her foot on the card, spreading her toes out until they are in the normal position, then stick her foot to the card using micropore tape. Be careful not to get her back toe caught up in the tape.
Take the shoe off daily to check how she's getting on and replace/make a new one if necessary. They usually fix within a couple to three days. In this pic, you can see the shoe on her right foot. Her toes were completely curled into a fist at hatch. This was 12 hours later (she also had a completely twisted neck)......
And this was a week later....
As for the toes, they can be fixed. How curled are they? Curled right under or just a bit crooked? If it's just a bit crooked, leave her to dry out and recover from hatch, then make chick shoes. If they are curled right under and she seems to be exhausting herself trying to get up, you can make the shoes earlier.
To make shoes....cut out a triangle of thin card (like a cereal box) that is the same size as her feet would be if they were normal. Place her foot on the card, spreading her toes out until they are in the normal position, then stick her foot to the card using micropore tape. Be careful not to get her back toe caught up in the tape.
Take the shoe off daily to check how she's getting on and replace/make a new one if necessary. They usually fix within a couple to three days. In this pic, you can see the shoe on her right foot. Her toes were completely curled into a fist at hatch. This was 12 hours later (she also had a completely twisted neck)......
And this was a week later....
- Thread starter
- #4
The cord is fine now, I have made boots for her but she is stumbling around and sitting on the yoke sac. I also noticed a small yellow spot like yoke, could the sac break? Also looks like it may be bleeding as I see light red on the paper towel. I put her in a small bowl so she cant stumble around. I tried to give her a little honey in water and I thing she took a little of it. She also looks up and falls over backwards, is that normal? Poor little thing she is a train wreck. is there anything else I should be doing?
How's she doing now? I'm in UK so we're on totally different time zones....sorry for not responding sooner.
The falling over when looking up bit may be imbalance because she's new to walking and is hampered by the shoes or it could be a touch of wry neck...like the chick pictured above, in this case caused by being stuck in the shell too long, which also commonly leads to the curled toes so it may be related. I sorted her neck out (and as you can see, it was very badly twisted, almost an S bend) by gently taking hold of her head, behind her ears and moving her head around in a circling motion, two or three times a day, to loosen up the muscles.
Is she fully dry and fluffed up now? Sometimes when they have got stuck or have taken too long or there were humidity issues during incubation, they end up with egg goo on them and it dries off to form a sort of slightly crispy cover over their fluff. It will hamper her ability to keep warm and also her ability to move freely. If this is the case, you need to bathe her and dry her off. The chick above also had this problem and she got run under a 'baby warm' faucet and very gently brushed with a child's paintbrush while there, to get rid of the goo, then oh so gently patted dry with kitchen towel and put back in the incubator to dry and fluff up properly.
As for the yolk, hopefully that is better now too. It may be that she doesn't absorb what remains and it will, instead, dry up and fall off in time. Just keep an eye and apply a little Neosporin to prevent infection (the type WITHOUT painkiller)
I hope she's doing much better today anyway and I wanted to reassure you that although it's not always a positive outcome, it certainly CAN be as my little lady above proves. We named her Penguin, due to that penguin-like stance she had to begin with, caused by her horribly twisted neck. She had exactly the same issues as yours (including the partially unabsorbed yolk) and a severe neck issue and she was as right as ninepence within a week and grew up to be a beautiful Buff Orpington girl who then went on to be a great momma too. TLC can go a very long way xxxx
The falling over when looking up bit may be imbalance because she's new to walking and is hampered by the shoes or it could be a touch of wry neck...like the chick pictured above, in this case caused by being stuck in the shell too long, which also commonly leads to the curled toes so it may be related. I sorted her neck out (and as you can see, it was very badly twisted, almost an S bend) by gently taking hold of her head, behind her ears and moving her head around in a circling motion, two or three times a day, to loosen up the muscles.
Is she fully dry and fluffed up now? Sometimes when they have got stuck or have taken too long or there were humidity issues during incubation, they end up with egg goo on them and it dries off to form a sort of slightly crispy cover over their fluff. It will hamper her ability to keep warm and also her ability to move freely. If this is the case, you need to bathe her and dry her off. The chick above also had this problem and she got run under a 'baby warm' faucet and very gently brushed with a child's paintbrush while there, to get rid of the goo, then oh so gently patted dry with kitchen towel and put back in the incubator to dry and fluff up properly.
As for the yolk, hopefully that is better now too. It may be that she doesn't absorb what remains and it will, instead, dry up and fall off in time. Just keep an eye and apply a little Neosporin to prevent infection (the type WITHOUT painkiller)
I hope she's doing much better today anyway and I wanted to reassure you that although it's not always a positive outcome, it certainly CAN be as my little lady above proves. We named her Penguin, due to that penguin-like stance she had to begin with, caused by her horribly twisted neck. She had exactly the same issues as yours (including the partially unabsorbed yolk) and a severe neck issue and she was as right as ninepence within a week and grew up to be a beautiful Buff Orpington girl who then went on to be a great momma too. TLC can go a very long way xxxx
- Thread starter
- #6
Good morning happy hens.
She made it through the night!!! Yesterday she was struggling so bad with her boots and splayed legs she was causing the egg sac to bleed. I put her in a small dish with a wash cloth in it. She only had room really to sleep and stand up if she wanted to. She slept most of the day but would wake up when I checked on her and peep. Would do little physical therapy having her stand up a bit then she would sleep more. I was able to get her to take a bit of honey water but I don’t think she liked it.
When I got up this morning at 5 am she was alive sitting in her dish looking happy and peeping when she saw me. After getting ready for work I came downstairs and she had gotten out of the dish and was walking around pretty good considering the boots and just learning to walk. Her legs were not splaying which I was happy to see. I think her being in the dish which kept her legs together must have helped that plus the little PT sessions to help her get stronger. I took the dish out so she could move around today and gave her sugar water which she liked better. She didn’t absorb the rest of the yoke sac, it looks like it is drying up on the outside but the part that is next to her belly is wet with a little blood. When she stands it falls down a bit and I am hoping it will allow that side to dry out also. I was going to clean it but didn’t know what to use and didn’t want to stress her while I am working and not there with her. I also hope she will be ok with no food and water for today. I am thinging she should because she is not even a day old.
I have to work today so I hope she will be ok while I am gone. It’s crazy how attached you get to these little guys. I think as long as she doesn’t get an infection she will be ok. Thanks for letting me know what to use on the egg sac. I will clean it up tonight. Thanks so much for responding to this thread. If it weren’t for BYC I would have no idea on how to take care of her and for people like you who reach out for guidance and support. Seeing the pics before and after also help a bunch.
Sorry this is so long just really needed to get it all out and get confirmation I am doing everything I can to help her recover. I will post a pic of her tonight.
She made it through the night!!! Yesterday she was struggling so bad with her boots and splayed legs she was causing the egg sac to bleed. I put her in a small dish with a wash cloth in it. She only had room really to sleep and stand up if she wanted to. She slept most of the day but would wake up when I checked on her and peep. Would do little physical therapy having her stand up a bit then she would sleep more. I was able to get her to take a bit of honey water but I don’t think she liked it.
When I got up this morning at 5 am she was alive sitting in her dish looking happy and peeping when she saw me. After getting ready for work I came downstairs and she had gotten out of the dish and was walking around pretty good considering the boots and just learning to walk. Her legs were not splaying which I was happy to see. I think her being in the dish which kept her legs together must have helped that plus the little PT sessions to help her get stronger. I took the dish out so she could move around today and gave her sugar water which she liked better. She didn’t absorb the rest of the yoke sac, it looks like it is drying up on the outside but the part that is next to her belly is wet with a little blood. When she stands it falls down a bit and I am hoping it will allow that side to dry out also. I was going to clean it but didn’t know what to use and didn’t want to stress her while I am working and not there with her. I also hope she will be ok with no food and water for today. I am thinging she should because she is not even a day old.
I have to work today so I hope she will be ok while I am gone. It’s crazy how attached you get to these little guys. I think as long as she doesn’t get an infection she will be ok. Thanks for letting me know what to use on the egg sac. I will clean it up tonight. Thanks so much for responding to this thread. If it weren’t for BYC I would have no idea on how to take care of her and for people like you who reach out for guidance and support. Seeing the pics before and after also help a bunch.
Sorry this is so long just really needed to get it all out and get confirmation I am doing everything I can to help her recover. I will post a pic of her tonight.
Awww, sounds like things are going well hon. Glad to hear it. Some piccies might help too if you can get some...give me/us an idea of how best to deal with the yolk sac issue. Seems like the shoes are working so that's good and great that she's not splaying...though that can be fixed too if it starts. You are right in saying she doesn't need food right away as she has her yolk but as she hasn't absorbed all of it, I would start offering her crumb now....and water too. If you can add some ACV to it, it will help keep pasty butt at bay and is a general all round tonic too.
- Thread starter
- #8
Sorry...piccies...I meant pictures...photos would be helpful, to see what we're dealing with. The weekend will be fine for the ACV xx
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