drunken walk, extra big ameraucana chick--cause?

[Tootsie]

I have a chicken, who also was extremely large as a baby and had trouble walking, I did try some vitamins but nothing worked. When she was 11 weeks she couldn't walk anymore and I took her to my podiatrist who offered to xray for free. It didn't show any breaks or anything.

I took the chick to the vet and he said for some reason (a freak thing he thought) it lost the ability to pull the hock joint up under herself and walk/stand. She is still alive but her legs are very twisted now and she hasn't really grown since she stopped walking and that was almost a year ago. She also developed a cross beak that none of my other 175 chickens have. I trim it regularly as well as her toenails and try to keep her as comfy as possible.

I keep her in a bunny cage in my room. When she wants something she gets vocal and I help her. She is very intelligent and a real trooper. I call her Little Phyllis after her mom but I think she actually might be a boy but it is hard to tell. I change her bedding several times a day and she is so smart she tried to keep the poop on the paper towel and then folds it up.

 

[annaserv]

I have a barred Cochin that seems to have a problem similar to this. She is one of the bigger pullets (around 4 months old).

It's like she has a lack of balance problem. I noticed this about a month ago, but she did get somewhat better, but now she's even worst. As far as I can see no unusual looking leg problems, she eats well but it almost seems like her problem is with her right side (that's always the direction she falls). When she turns, she loses her balance and does a lot of wing fluttering and weird side stepping to correct her balance.

No problem at all with the other cochin pullets she grew up with, so I was thinking it couldn't be the feed and hopefully not disease. Maybe something genetic??

My husband suggested she might be blind in one eye, but whenever I checked for this I really can't confirm it.

If I pull her out for a while I'm worried about reintroducing her and everyone picking one her, which isn't a problem now, other than her getting bumped around and losing her balance.

 

[chickenzoo]

I've converted a kids toy car into a chicken chair before. If you go to the dollar store etc. and find a cheap toddlers toy car, truck etc, the plastic simple kind with a big dip in the center, and tall enough- about the height you need for the chicken tojust touch the floor. You can cut oval holes in the bottom for each leg, and a hole for the poop catcher. You can make a seat belt to go over the back of the chicken out of velcro. You can stick a plastic baggy in the hole of the poop catcher. You can also padd the inside with a wash cloth etc. This way they can exercise their legs and build up muscle.

 

[pebblessix]

Chickenzoo: "I've converted a kids toy car into a chicken chair before. If you go to the dollar store etc. and find a cheap toddlers toy car, truck etc, the plastic simple kind with a big dip in the center, and tall enough- about the height you need for the chicken tojust touch the floor. You can cut oval holes in the bottom for each leg, and a hole for the poop catcher. You can make a seat belt to go over the back of the chicken out of velcro. You can stick a plastic baggy in the hole of the poop catcher. You can also padd the inside with a wash cloth etc. This way they can exercise their legs and build up muscle. "


Very cool! Do you have a picture? By the way...I live right down the road from you! Near Keystone.

 

[steffpeck]

kstaven - If they do have head tremors, what do you think it is??

 

[cimarron]

sharon, the riboflavin-deficiency links were very helpful, thank you.

i have been giving belinda the vita-flight in a dropper. i mixed what seemed to be a day's dose in a 1 oz bottle and give it about 1 or 2 droppers at a time and will give every hour or so today...not exact science. i also have normal strength vitamins in the communal waterer for all the chicks to get some.

i also have her legs braced, as they were splayed, and that seems to be a good idea for now. but there's a new concern. she had some of her poop on the brace morning and it was golden brown and very bad smelling. not that chicken poop ever smells like roses, but this seemed like "sick" poop. i am wondering now if she has some other ailment. i am going to do some more research.

it's weird, she is eating and drinking and scooting around, but her beak was rather weak when i gave vitamins with the dropper. could anyone weigh in on this? she is still in with the other seven chicks (who all seem to be very healthy)...sould i isolate her at this point? thanks!

 

[SharonX]

Yep, you are probably right about those "wobblies".

My little big lil pullet seems fine now after about 1 week of vitamin dosing. She is not yet one month old (BD 10/9), and from the way she was acting spastic with curly toes and all, I thought she was surely a goner.

She is fine now -- a little uncoordinated but walking about just fine. I have put her into the big cage in the back yard with the older girls (BD 10/03). She's OK and now everyone gets bird vitamin solution in their water!!

 

[SharonX]

Cimarron,

Posted my update before I saw your last post. As far as the poop question, if the vitamin solution is a little too potent they can get diarrhea. I just add a bit more water to her water with vitamins until her poop is normal again.

I think you are on to the right track with Belinda and the taped legs will not be necessary once she has her B-2 vitamins restored. Big girls seem to need more vitamins than little girls!

I took my spastic girl out from the others because she was stuck sitting all the time (partially paralyzed) and they were stepping on her and pecking at her. That is why I felt she needed her own little cage. I used a clear plastic tote with top askew (to protect from A/C blasts) and with heating pad on medium and her food and vita-water. I added hay at one end so she could escape the heating pad if it got too warm.

I picked her up and dosed her every few hours with a dropper in the beginning until she started to be able to stand and drink from her little water/vitamin container in her box. Now I bring her back to her own cage/box after she has been outside with the others. They are getting rowdy and she is still younger and not as strong as the others yet.

 

[SharonX]

Tootsie,

What a lovely story of your handicapped pullet. Such a good and loving mom you are!

 

[cimarron]

it might be too soon to tell but i swear Belinda seems a bit steadier already after getting those vitamins in her. thanks again for the tip! i will continue dosing her about 2 eye droppers full, every hour or so.

i also saw her poop a normal one. maybe the nasty stuff i saw was the bile-y stuff they pass every 8 hours or so. oh, the joys of new motherhood!

i took off the chickie leg shackles too!