chick walkin in circles won't stay with rest of babies

[afishel]

I bought baby BO Pullets today at Orschlens I didnot notice anything was wrong with this one till I got it home.
All the other chicks are pecking around trying to keep up with my babies that are a couple weeks older but this one just walks in circles
I dont know what to do I am affraid its gonna die
everytime it stops walking it closes its eyes

 

[afishel]

I dunno what to do any ideas?!
thanks

 

[peepsnbunnies]

Sound like your chick is blind. I had one several years ago that did that and I noticed that it was not pecking/eating because it could not see the food. Sit for a little while and observe it to see if it eats.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
I second that. Poor baby!

If it is indeed blind, you should make sure it gets enough food and water, first of all. Since it can't see, it needs to learn where everything is. Keep food and water dishes in the same place. Where are all the chicks kept? In a brooder box? If so, like I said, keep the water/feed dishes in a certain spot. Help the chick by placing it nearby the waterer, and gently dunking it's beak in the water so it knows it is there and it will take a drink. Let it stand there for a bit, then try again. Wait a bit more, and see if it attempts to reach down and take a sip of water itself. Try this same method with the food, only put some of it in your hand and put it right close up to the chick's beak. Make some type of sound, such as a clucking sound, or say "chick-chick" to call it to the food. Eventually it will become used to this sound and recognize it as being related to food. Whenever I call my chickens over, they know that I have food and they all come running over.

It helps to dip the chick's beak a little in the handful of feed a couple times, and then it should begin to peck at it and eat on its own. Do this same thing, only with the feed dish/whatever you use to feed them. Make sure the other chicks don't overcrowd it while it is learning to eat from the food dish. Again, always keep the food/water dishes in the same exact spots, and eventually the chick will learn where they are. And make sure none of the other chicks are pecking on the blind chick.
If you make any changes to the environment, such as moving them from the brooder box to the coop, then make sure to do these things all over again until it re-learns where everything is in its new environment.

Also, it might help to look up other threads BYCers posted on here about blind chicks. Raising them successfully is possible if you're willing to put in some time, effort, and care.
Good luck!

 

[afishel]

OMG I thought this earlier but then I thought no way I've never seen a blind chicken
I was looking at its eyes and we were outside 3:00 pm very bright shinning all the other chicks pupils were very small but this one it pupils were dilated! and here it is 12:36am and all the chicks are bedded down and this one is laying down with the others and is cheeping every few minutes she is the only one making noise? HUH too weird! poor girl!
I did show her food and water earlier and she ate and finally drank then she was trying to walk across the brooder box/pool and ran right into the feeder!

 

[afishel]

What am I going to do when she gets bigger I cant let her free range like the rest of my flock! my dogs will 4sure get her! and I cant leave her penned up by herself OH no! I feel bad for her I just helped her eat and drink some she does better when I put crumbles on the floor of brooder box than in feeder but she does fine with water jar

 

[chicknfishn]

I had an older chick that was fine until one day it did the same thing. It started walking around in circles.

No other chicks did it and I immediately isolated it from the other chicks.

I gave it Duramycin 10 in its water for a few days and it got better. It is fine now.

I still do not know what was wrong with it. But the antibiotic did the trick for me. Hope it helps.

 

[rainbowgardens]

I had a chick that walked in circles for weeks. She's still with us more than a year later with no health issues. She's friendlier than all the others because I held her more while trying to examine her. I hope yours will be okay.