Chicken walking with wings dragging on ground.

[frostic]

Hi guys so my chicks are almost 6 weeks now. They are getting huge! so yesterday I noticed one of them was walking with her wings hanging to the ground, she is eating and drinking, however she used to be scared of being picked up and would freak out if you tried. now shes not even putting up a fight and still walking with her wings puffed out from her body. her poop looks normal, i checked for mites/lice and none. I keep their coop clean and i can't seem to figure out why shes not acting like herself. I also checked her crop and it seems normal. i don't see anything else wrong except that she is now letting me pick her up and her wings hanging low. anyone have an idea why shes acting like this? is she depressed? i don't get it she used to be the one that picked on the other 2 chickens now shes just sitting by herself alot too

 

[azygous]

A photo would be a big help. We can tell a lot by just seeing how a chicken is carrying itself. For example, if the wings are balanced and held equally the same distance from the ground, the chicken my be overheated or feeling sick.

If one wing is propping itself up while the other wing is held out for balance, that signals some very serious issues, virus, poisoning, etc.

Do you still have these chicks under heat? How warm is it where you are? Are you having unusually hot days? Are the other chicks showing any signs at all of being "different"? Are there any adult chickens that could have injured this chick?

 

[frostic]

I'll have to get some pics but. they are same balance. and its only 1 of my 3 chicks. they are almost 6 weeks old and yes they have a heat lamp that is 4 feet above their brooder. today I have not seen her do it. but i did have to break up a huge cchick brawl. they was all attacking eachother and it was not good. one chicken seems to be the instigater then gets her but kicked by the other 2. but its not the one that was walking strange. I'm in california and as of right now oddly its been cold for about 2 weeks. like in the 40s and 50s but getting warmer in the next few days. but they are inside since they are not 100% covered in feathers yet.

 

[azygous]

They should be weaned off heat by six weeks. That's probably why they haven't feathered out yet. The heat lamp is causing slow feather growth.

At age three weeks chicks no longer require heat during the day if the temp is between 65 and 70. By age five weeks, chicks should no longer need heat at night at temps above 50. By six weeks, chicks can be easily acclimatized to cold temps at night and can live in a coop with no heat as long as it's above freezing.

I'd say, that this one chick may be showing signs of overheating, and it's a sign you need to turn off the heat lamp during the day. Also, at six weeks, your chicks will start to show signs of crowding stress unless they have access to more space than a brooder usually provides.

There are suggestions in this article for how to safely integrate chicks into an adult flock if you have adults. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors.71995/ If no adult chickens, there is no reason not to let the chicks have free access to coop and run by this time. They can handle daytime outdoor temps at six weeks easily down into the 50s without any acclimatizing.

 

[frostic]

Thanks for the tips, I am moving them outside in the day when it is warm. and i turn the light off at night or they keep me up all night fighting eachother the only time i have their light on is when im working or not t home since it is very dark in my house. I have now seperated the one chick and they have a huge cage outside. and a huge backyard once i think they are ready to be out there. they seem to not like it in the backtard and try to hide under things so i don't know when i should take them out.

 

[azygous]

Baby chicks have a predator instinct and need cover. They will be very uncomfortable just tossed into the back yard. Don't you have a coop and run? Even adult chickens need things to protect them from danger from the sky.

At this stage, your first priority is to wean them off heat, and to do that you need to turn off heat during the day. Then you can rig up a safe chick pen with a shade canopy in the back yard for them to spend their days. They will sleep in the brooder indoors at night.

But your goal is to move them outdoors permanently where chickens can have sunlight and dirt to scratch in.

 

[frostic]

Baby chicks have a predator instinct and need cover. They will be very uncomfortable just tossed into the back yard. Don't you have a coop and run? Even adult chickens need things to protect them from danger from the sky.

At this stage, your first priority is to wean them off heat, and to do that you need to turn off heat during the day. Then you can rig up a safe chick pen with a shade canopy in the back yard for them to spend their days. They will sleep in the brooder indoors at night.

But your goal is to move them outdoors permanently where chickens can have sunlight and dirt to scratch in.

Yes i have been doing this for 5 days now. and i do have a coop. but i don't have the run built. i ran out of materials for it. but my backyard is fenced around the coop with a roof made of chicken wire. ok so in a few more days ill put them out there thanks for the help. removing the heat lamp she stopped dragging her wings. you are awesome thank you.