Do I need to help this chick?

[needmorechickens!]

or do I just need to leave it alone?

It hatched at around lunch time today. It rolls around, but doesn't really get up off its hocks. Its legs seem weak...I gave a drop of Polyvisol at 4pm and again at 7pm.
It doesn't really seem like its legs are far apart like the pics I have seen of spraddle legs.

I can't really get a picture right now cause it just sits on its feet and you can't see its legs. It peeps louder than the others.

oh, and i never had it on anything slick, just paper towels....

~Rebecca

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I've had chicks that couldn't get the idea that they have to "stand up" to be able to walk. I just kept putting my finger under their little fuzzy butt and lifting so they could take a few steps. It took them about 24 hours to be up on their feet all by themselves.

 

[chickorama]

They are SO tired from hatching, that sometimes they can't stand up. Also , we got a chick last spring that we thought had some kind of disease. It was trampled on and walked over, and it could only get food when the others where sleeping and not pushing it out of the way. It never stood up until it was a pullet, and for a while we thought we should just put it out of it's misery. but we ended up letting it live and now who knows why, but she made it!!! Now she is a lovely dark brahma with beautiful plumage, and she is on top of the pecking order!!! If you asked someone to pick out who was the little stepped on chick, I would not say she was! just goes to show that mother nature takes care of babies.

 

[needmorechickens!]

Thanks for the encouragement...
My 2 day old chick is still not walking right. She does stand more than she did, but it's like she can't balance well. When she tries to eat or drink she falls into the food and rolls over and knocks over the other chicks.
She PEEEEEEEEPS loud! I have 3 others in there with her who are being very patient with her and they are fine. I guess I am going to give her a few more days to figure out the walking thing. She was the first to pip and the last to hatch...maybe she got brain damage?

~Rebecca

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Possibly some brain damage...I do think it happens. However she could have been last to hatch because she had difficulty pushing with her legs. That's how they zip. They push against the egg with their legs as they rotate around in the egg while zipping the shell.

I would definitely try giving this chick 1 drop of poly-vi-sol (without iron) children's liquid vitamins twice a day for 7 days, then taper off. It could very well be a vitamin deficiency that was passed on from the hen. It happens...even in the best fed flock. Some hens may not absorb nutrients the way others do.

It certainly couldn't hurt. Try dribbling it along side the chicks beak. Even if only some gets in, it's better than none.

 

[Jamie821]

you could also if her legs are wide apart put a hobble on her to bring her legs in and in time with the hobble it will make her legs come back together. Dont know if that is the prob or not but I have had a few chicks with that prob and after hobbling for a week they were fine. But do give her the poly without iron for extra strength. She wouldnt have brain damage though unless she was without oxygen for a period of time.

 

[needmorechickens!]

Thanks all, I will continue giving the poly-vi-sol vitamins...she seems to be the slightest bit better....she is definitely the runt (almost half the size of the others) She leans against the other chicks a lot to stand and they tolerate her well. I have seen her eat and drink (I had to raise the waterer cause she kept falling into it when she leaned over to get some. I will try to get a pic of her tonight and maybe a short video.
~Rebecca

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I have a 3 day old chick that is having difficulty with walking and even standing while drinking. His legs are a bit wider apart than the other chicks, but not enough that I would hobble it at this point...so a slight bit of splaying. Hopefully, this will get better over the next few days. I put some poly-vi-sol in their water each time I refill it. Usually "tincture of time" will take care of it.

 

[lovemychix]

I've got one 5 days old right now...pooping, eating, drinking, but wobbly....I've got her sectioned off away from the others because they were stepping on her....I think she'll be fine in time...I hope.

 

[skand]

We had one hatch day before yesterday, 5 days over due. Had to help it, was drying in the shell. We were super careful, it pulled itself out the rest of the way, looked like a very nasty clotted yolk sac was still not completly asorbed. (more like baby poo lookin) we hoped it would or wouldn't make it through the night. Well, he made it, is doing wonderful now, Super tired, wobbling around. But he's so darn small and acts like if he opens his eyes, he'll fall down. Any ideas, or are we just supposed to wait and see what he does next?