Hi all, I have 19 chicks who are about 8 days old ( give or take due to delayed hatching) and all but one are doing fine. This one chick is quite large for a Silkie chick and originally it was up and moving about fine but in the last 2-3 days its started walking on its hocks and using its wings to scoot round and to move. There is nothing wrong with its feet/ legs that I can see, there is still blood flow and movement so they aren't broken or anything but I just don't know why he/ she isn't up and moving, why this is suddenly a problem? At first I thought that maybe it was because it is quite large and a little tubby, so I thought that its weight might have something to do with it but now I'm not sure. Other than that everyone else is fine and no one else has any problems. Any thoughts or ideas?
Sounds like it could be a riboflavin deficiency. I would start treating right away with vitamins or B complex, for the earlier treatment starts the better the chances of reversing it because it gets worse in time. Here are 2 links to read: http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou..._poultry/vitamin_deficiencies_in_poultry.html http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/217/vitamin-b2-deficiency
Where would I get this from? We don't have tractor supply stores in this country. Would a crushed up multi vitamin ( human one) work? If mixed in water
A human B Complex tablet containing all of the B vitamins would be good. Mainly you need riboflavin or vitamin B2, so anything containing that would be good. B vitamins are water soluble and any extra is excreted in the urine, so they are better to give than a multivitamin. For a temporary fix, use anything with riboflavin today until you get the right one. Most poultry or livestock vitamins contain riboflavin, but read the label. Poultry Nutri-Drench does not have it. Brewer's yeast and raw live would be good food sources of riboflavin.
OK thanks, should I be giving it to everyone or just those affected? ( I have 2 brooder boxes going) Ive crushed a multi vit tablet ( with vit b b12 etc) up and made a liquid which I gave via a syringe to the chick. I will look for a better solution when I go to the supermarket tonight of just the b vitamins. Thanks
ok then, Should I be putting the equivalent of 1 tablet or half of one in their water? Sorry for so many questions, ive never come across this before
When I use B complex, I will dissolve 1 tablet into a gallon of water. Do you have a feed store that sells any poultry or livestock vitamins in powder form? Those are easier to dose.
No we don't have any poultry places here like other countries, only feed stores and such. ( up north may have some but they wont sell stuff unless they have seen the bird) Even for live stock they don't really have anything except salt and mineral licks but that's about all. I will keep an eye out for some but I will try to get some in human tablet form in the mean time
Well I thought I would update everyone. I now have 3 showing signs, 2 are doing good, I have taped their legs so that they walk correctly rather than on their hocks and one is a major improvement ( the youngest chick) the older one isn't as good but can walk properly tho it spends most of its day sitting . The original one though has gotten worse, unfortunately nothing has helped and I feel like the b vitamins were to late ( though I cold have some other problem) . Its hard to describe exactly what its doing and how its legs have twisted and formed ( or deformed) so I have some photos. Unfortunately I will be putting it down later on today to end its suffering as I have been feeding it and watering it as well as self righting it when it ends up on its back, I don't know if its inpain but I would think so to a point. I feel like this is such a shame because its such a beautiful chick otherwise, and because it was 'normal' origionally before this onset. here are some pictures this is how the chick sits when it is upright/ not lying on its side this is how its legs have deformed, over the last day or so they have twisted outwards more and more, rotating the foot This shows the less affected foot ( its almost straight, not so when it 'walks' it twists back under again. you can also see the pressure sore area being affected since the hock wasn't designed to be used this way.