Chick not acting right! Neck issue?

[MamaChick70]

I have 6 chicks 3 red and 3 black sex linked I got them on 6-19. This is big bird. I let them all out yesterday Sunday7-19 for the first time in there 8x8 run for about 3 hours. I had food and water, and of course they were forging most of the time. I had someone with them at all times except for 30 minutes while we ate dinner.

After we ate dinner and returned to them I noticed she was a little “off” but I couldn’t put my finger on it. When my husband picked her up so we can bring them back to the house. She did not react at all . No crying, no flapping the wings, no shrieking! Nothing!.

while they were out I cleaned their brooder, but removed the heater.

7/20 Today She is walking ok but she is keeping her neck / head tucked into her chest. She is following the other birds but keeping her distance. I checked her don’t see anything obvious. She does not extend her neck when she walks or to look around. She was preening herself before, from what I can see without any issues. She is also one of the first ones to run to the front of the brooder when we are there- and nothing.

I have a health book for them but I can’t find anything. She is not wry neck, she’s not tucking the head between the legs, not twisting the neck. Between my husband and I we have over 15 years medical experience and it almost looks like it is a pulled muscle... but I am new to chickens no clue here! Any suggestions?? Any help will be appreciated.


***Note: 7/20 I did put electrolytes in there water just in case what’s wrong goes through my flock. No other girl is behaving like this.
update 7/21 I am noticing she is not sitting down. She is sleeping standing up and crowded with the other girls.

 

[azygous]

Do you know what the chicks were eating during the time they were in the run? Do they have access to grit?

Often, when a chick of that age suddenly acts "off", it's constipation or a crop issue. Feel the crop. Is there a hard knot in it?

What does her poop look like? Is she drinking a lot of water but not eating anything?

 

[MamaChick70]

Do you know what the chicks were eating during the time they were in the run?

Azygous,
They were forging outside, eating bugs and such. I did have there food outside with them (starter medicated, what they have been on since I got them please do not reprimand me for this) some picked on the food but preferred forging as you would have guessed. I did not have grit in the run. Today 7/21 while I was at work my husband said she was eating, and drank a little.

I just placed some grit in there brooder and they are fighting over it- they have never done that before, but that was there first time having grit. Checked her crop and compared her to another chick since they all just ate, she had a little hardness in crop. We massage it a little. Trying to watch her poop but with 5 other chicks difficult at best. Since giving them the grit - she is chirping a little, and when we grabbed her to check her crop she was squawking and putting up a fuss which Is an improvement. Any other suggestions?

 

[azygous]

It can't hurt to give her some oil. And do continue to provide grit. It's the safest thing to do for young chicks even though everyone insists they don't need it when only eating chick food. It improves digestion and helps it work much more efficiently.

What I discovered some years back is that coconut oil slightly chilled is the absolute easiest, safest way to put oil into a chicken, no matter the age. Measure out one teaspoon of the oil and divide it into four pea size pieces. Then chill until firm.

Take the chick onto your lap and pry open the beak. This is the hardest part, getting the beak open. Chicks can act like little alligators keeping their beaks sealed. It won't hurt a chick to have their beak forced open. It can take two hands, then slip a finger into the beak to keep it open and start feeding the oil bits into her. Place them far back on the tongue and she will swallow. Get all the oil into her.

Massage the crop for a minute, then let her go. If there's a problem developing in her digestive tract, this will usually resolve it. She should be back to normal by morning.

 

[aart]

You can also 'melt' the CO into some crumble feed.
Allow the oil to absorb into enough crumble until it's still crumbly.
I found that a far easier way to administer, they just eat it right up.

 

[MamaChick70]

azygous and aart
Thank you for your advice- she is doing much better. I continued with the electrolytes in the water, and I now give them grit when I refresh there food. I had to melt the CO to give to her she enjoyed it and so did a few other ladies. She is even sitting down again.

 

[MamaChick70]

You can also 'melt' the CO into some crumble feed.

azygous and aart
I wanted to update you on big bird, and thank you. She is back to being herself. I am continuing with the “grit” for all the girls.
Again thank you. In the picture she is roosting with some of the ladies in her brooder. They are all moving out on Wednesday weather permitting.