Deformity in chick?

[Kellie8095]

Hello
I received 4 chicks on 9/1, they hatched 8/31. I noticed right away one of them seemed to be breathing heavy. Heavy enough that it moved her whole little body when she was standing still to the point she sometimes would stumble. I watched and tried to research this for a few days but no change.
She is now 9 almost 10 weeks old and still the same. She is noticeably smaller then the other three and still seems to be shaped weird to me. I don’t know quite how but something seems off with her body shape or something. For instance when I pick up the other chicks I can easily use one hand to grab them and carry or hold them, but with her her chest seems also too deep or pointed to hold her this way.
I have been in touch with people where I got her from and sent them video of her. They suggested a few things to try and also mentioned a possibility of her respiratory system being too small or underdeveloped. There are no signs of congestion or discharge or open beak breathing. She eats and drinks normally and is keeping up with the other chicks activity levels. I have wondered if something is off with her legs as well as she is less coordinated then the others and sometimes will squat or lay down to eat off the ground instead of just leaning forward. Sorry for the long post I am new to chickens and am unsure about what’s going on with her. I’m not sure there’s anything I can actually do to help but figured I’d check here with people who may have had similar issues. Thank you!

 

[Kellie8095]

I added some pictures although it’s hard to tell anything by them. She is the Wyandotte. I tried to add the video of her breathing but it isn’t showing up.

 

[DogAndCat36]

Hello
I received 4 chicks on 9/1, they hatched 8/31. I noticed right away one of them seemed to be breathing heavy. Heavy enough that it moved her whole little body when she was standing still to the point she sometimes would stumble. I watched and tried to research this for a few days but no change.
She is now 9 almost 10 weeks old and still the same. She is noticeably smaller then the other three and still seems to be shaped weird to me. I don’t know quite how but something seems off with her body shape or something. For instance when I pick up the other chicks I can easily use one hand to grab them and carry or hold them, but with her her chest seems also too deep or pointed to hold her this way.
I have been in touch with people where I got her from and sent them video of her. They suggested a few things to try and also mentioned a possibility of her respiratory system being too small or underdeveloped. There are no signs of congestion or discharge or open beak breathing. She eats and drinks normally and is keeping up with the other chicks activity levels. I have wondered if something is off with her legs as well as she is less coordinated then the others and sometimes will squat or lay down to eat off the ground instead of just leaning forward. Sorry for the long post I am new to chickens and am unsure about what’s going on with her. I’m not sure there’s anything I can actually do to help but figured I’d check here with people who may have had similar issues. Thank you!View attachment 2402411View attachment 2402408View attachment 2402409View attachment 2402412View attachment 2402413View attachment 2402414View attachment 2402416View attachment 2402410

She looks pretty ok externally and is molting well. She looks runty though. You said that when you held her chest that you felt that it was more pointer which could actually be a sign that she is skinny depending on how it is pointing out. Is it actually sticking out, it could be internal damage but it could also just be the keel bone. All that is happening to her could be a sign of hunger (besides the respiratory problem). Before we go any further it would be nice to flesh out the situation.

I have a few questions if that is ok with you

Is she bullied? Does she ever get pecked or show any sign of submissiveness to the other chickens?
Does she fill her crop (stomach) so much that there is a big bulge on her chest area or does she just casually peck her food at night? Usually, chickens will gorge themselves before roosting for the night.

I have had personal experience with something similar to this and it did not turn out well for the chicken. I hope that they get better. Best wishes to you and the chicken.

 

[Kellie8095]

She looks pretty ok externally and is molting well. She looks runty though. You said that when you held her chest that you felt that it was more pointer which could actually be a sign that she is skinny depending on how it is pointing out. Is it actually sticking out, it could be internal damage but it could also just be the keel bone. All that is happening to her could be a sign of hunger (besides the respiratory problem). Before we go any further it would be nice to flesh out the situation.

I have a few questions if that is ok with you

Is she bullied? Does she ever get pecked or show any sign of submissiveness to the other chickens?
Does she fill her crop (stomach) so much that there is a big bulge on her chest area or does she just casually peck her food at night? Usually, chickens will gorge themselves before roosting for the night.

I have had personal experience with something similar to this and it did not turn out well for the chicken. I hope that they get better. Best wishes to you and the chicken.

Thanks for your reply, I will have to check tonight about her crop as I’ve never checked it at night, but overall she has always been a good eater. She is not being bullied, actually she’s pretty bossy to the other 3 chicks I got at the same time as her which I find amusing since she’s like half their size. Her chest seems really deep to me more so then any of the others. It makes it difficult to hold her, because the shape is weird. She’s really short and wide shaped, also she has no tail feathers that I have seen, it’s like she’s missing something in the back side and it throws her balance off when she leans forward.
The company I ordered her from suggested a partially impacted crop possibly from ingesting the shipping material. We tried chick grit and bread crumbs in olive oil but she still breathes really heavy.