Emu Chick Acting Strange

[Kiril749]

Need help and advice. I have two Emu chicks, one 6 days old and one 4 days old. The younger one is holding its head toward the ground when he stands, as if he's trying to look underneath himself. I immediately mixed up some Life-Lyte vitiman supplement into water and have been giving him sips by hand. Does anyone know what this might be and is there anything I should be doing? Any advice is greatly appreciated.....

 

[Avie]

I think Yoda's chick Callisto had that neck problem. I just looked and found part of the story on pg 24 - 29 of the Hatch-a-long thread. Callisto recovered from the neck problem, but then developed other problems

If I'm remembering right, there were some other chicks with it, too. I think it is called "wry neck" and I think it's a vitamin deficiency issue...the Emu Expert team will show up to help you soon!!! but in the meantime that gives you a start.

 

[Kiril749]

I just called a local farmer and he told me to give him an injection of vitamin B1....I'm gonna try that.

 

[Grassman 52]

While we are getting answers on the neck - I also have a question:


My oldest chick is going around and picking at the eyes of the other chicks - I remember seeing this issue on another thread -

My question - is this normal behavior and if so, do I need to start separating the more aggressive chicks?

My oldest is only 4 days older, but with Emu's that seems like a big age difference.

 

[Yoda]

Go to your local feed store and pick up poultry vitamins and mix it with the water. Clear pedialite will help too but the vitamins are better. Lacking B vitamins. Give it to all your chicks so they do not develop "star gazing/ wry neck" no need to inject the chicks. The little one with wry neck you might have to give him a couple cc/ml orally being sure to get it down the back of the throat and do it slowly so the water stays down and doesn't come up. First see if the chick can drink it on it's own.

Going after the eyes cause they are shiney. Put in some cat toys and it should stop. Like shiney balls or hang toys in the pen for them to play with.

 

[Kiril749]

So is vitamin B1, B2 or B12 all the same? Which is best?

 

[Grassman 52]

Thank you Yoda - You guys are going to start getting a lot of questions

 

[Avie]

Check out this quote -- seems to be saying, there's several possible causes


I'm going to guess that vitamin / mineral deficiency is the most common reason, more so than the viral diseases.The vitamin content in the pelleted feed goes down as it gets older / stale, or if the fat content starts to break down (go rancid). It's frustrating, I've definitely gotten pelleted budgie food that was stale (smelled off) even though it wasn't past the expiration date. Maybe that batch of food got transported in an overheated truck and that broke down the vitamins.

Also, what if the mama bird didn't have the best nutrition? Then the yolk wouldn't give the chick the best start. Would that show up in the chick right away or after a few days?

I'm glad to be reading about this but also a bit sad. I had some finches die with wry neck symptoms a few years ago and I just assumed it was genetic.

 

[Avie]

So is vitamin B1, B2 or B12 all the same? Which is best?

They are all different -- but if you get something called "B Complex vitamins" it has all of them. My dr. has me take extra vitamin B complex because apparently us old f@rts don't absorb them as well.

Also, interesting sidenote, people who are alcoholics can become very deficient in B1 (= thiamine). I know someone who developed severe, ongoing hallucinations (he heard voices). We thought it was mental illness but it turned out to be alcoholism. Part of his treatment was mega amounts of thiamine. The story has a happy ending, he is doing much better.

Not that your chick has a drinking problem or anything...

 

[Avie]

OK, I double-checked
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_vitamins
Quote:
I just checked my bird vitamin powder (LaFeber's) and it had all 8, listed under their names (niacin, thiamine, folic acid etc).