Chick suddenly acting off - injury or illness?

[Wyorp Rock]

I don't know about growing pains, but giving him B-Complex daily along with 400IU Vitamin E may help. The B vitamins are helpful in leg development. E is helpful with balance and development. Worth a shot.

LOL Yes, no one is safe when a broody gets mad.

 

[eveliens]

Well, unfortunately, I'm not seeing a lot of improvement. I have the little guy on vitamins and bed rest but he's still having trouble keeping his balance and using his toes properly (they are slow to uncurl). It appears to be both legs, not just one hurt leg and a compensating leg :/ He otherwise seems fine - inhaling food, very alert, clean vent/stools. I'm hoping it is a time will heal thing and have been taking advantage of the confinement to handle him a bunch.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You've given vitamins for how many days?
It can take time.

 

[eveliens]

Well the poor bud is definitely doing worse.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1avGVHSqME4zhOMlV2PePmf4c5k_75rJn/view?usp=sharing

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Your video is not public.

 

[eveliens]

Your video is not public.

Not sure why it's doing that. It says its public with a link when I checked the settings. I reset it, so hopefully it works now.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

What do his joints look like?

And you are giving B-Complex not B-12 right?

 

[eveliens]

What do his joints look like?

And you are giving B-Complex not B-12 right?

Yes, a complex - the deficiencies that showed up when I researched said B1/thiamine and B2/riboflavin are the ones that cause the most problems, particularly the latter due to UV sensitivity and low % in the feed to begin with. His problems don't match 100% to the symptoms of vitamin deficiency but are closest to B2 rather than B1 or Vit. E. I'm dosing all of them just in case though.

He's also been given (quail) egg yolk, insects and powdered yeast plus the chick starter as a mash. It is a struggle for him to eat, so I've been tricking mom into coaxing him to eat more. At this point, either he recovers or he doesn't. He's been given everything I have to give him.

My concern/worry is that it isn't a deficiency and is some kind of virus due to how quickly the little chick is going downhill. I am really hoping it is a deficiency for his sake of course, but also I have 30 month old coturnix quail, 12 two month old Gambel's quail and a several species of adult quail that are my breeders. My bantams are yard candy pets more or less but quail are my focus. And, quail are highly susceptible to viruses, so while I do keep them/their paraphernalia separate from the chickens, I don't want to unwittingly transfer anything on my hands or person. A virus seems unlikely since I have a closed flock but a bunch of wild birds are migrating right now.

 

[eveliens]

Update: Little bud is looking a bit better. Got a big, tasty roach first thing this morning. He's still flipping/rolling but his tail is back to being upright, his neck isn't floppy, and his full body trembling/shaking has decreased. Still not eating as much as I'd like him to and very easily exhausted but hopefully on the mend. Mom is getting annoyed at being locked in the side yard and tried to fly over the fence - needless to say it didn't work since baby can't follow. I'll probably keep them back there for awhile even after he recovers to make sure if it is viral there is no more shedding, and/or if it is a deficiency, he is forced to eat/drink the supplements. By then he should be big enough to go in the coop full time and I can clean out the laundry room time for all the birds to go completely out in the yard and out of the house/off the porch!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I hope he continues to improve!
Thank you for the update.