Four week old Polish with feet problems

[IndigoRaven]

My four week old polish named Artemis has been having trouble with her feet. Ever since we got her (which was when she was a couple days old) she has been having trouble with her feet. When she was younger she didn't walk much and kinda scooted around without actually standing up. When she did walk around she would step on her feet a lot. She also had a hard time with holding onto things. Now that she is older she walks and seems relatively normal though she steps on her own feet a lot and still cant hold onto things. She will fly up onto my arm yet slip and slide and fall off while all the others stay on. When she lays down she sticks her legs out to the side and sometimes the other birds peck at her feet when she does this. does anyone have any idea on what might be wrong with her?

Here is a picture of her laying down:

 

[jbake]

hi you have a very nice looking chicken very cute.i was thinking she may have a neurological disorder you can seperate her from the rest of the flock and give her electroylites and lots of bugs (mealworms, waxworms, crickets ect.) you can get them at a pet store and i would seperate her for 6 months and see how she is doing. it gives her time to heal her brain and she still may have some problems still but not as bad. goodluck and hope the best for her and you.

 

[MercyMe03]

I cant tell you what's wrong with her, but I can tell you that some polish chicks tend to develop more slowly than other chicks. My Polish chick Elvira is a few weeks older than yours and she still isn't able to hold onto things and perch like my other chicks. Bless her heart, but in all honesty my Elvira seems to be just a little slow..We love her just the way she is though. Other than when she lays down does she act normally? And does she still scoot or is she using her legs and feet more now?

 

[seminolewind]

If she walks that's great. I've had quite a few Polish seem like their legs and feet were too big for them. And they would rest in odd positions. If she is feeding herself and walks, maybe she'll grow into the feet!

 

[IndigoRaven]

Thank you guys for all your feedback. She walks pretty much fine by the way, pretty much the only thing wrong now is her ability to hold onto things and not fall off.

 

[MercyMe03]

My polish is the same way. They just take a little longer to catch on.

 

[seminolewind]

Try doing little exercises with her. I had one with paralysis, and we used to take her out on the patio and put her 10 feet away, etc, and she would have to make it back to us. It helps.

 

[IndigoRaven]

That seems like a good idea, I'll try that

 

[IndigoRaven]

She's now just a few months shy of a year old now. She doesn't scratch a lot like the other hens do, her balance is not quite as good, she's a bit awkward, and she is small, but otherwise she's doing great. She is such a sweet bird, enjoys being held, and is an integral part of the flock. I have to say that in our mixed breed group we've especially enjoyed having Polish hens (we have pretty gentle birds in our flock--I don't think the Polish would do as well with more aggressive breeds). They are all quite social. They are like cats often at your feet looking for attention. Always wanting to know what you are up to. Our little white buffed polish probably has something a little off neurologically, but she's a gentle little bird and a good egg layer. Just wanted to post this because I've heard lots of cases of the buff laced Polish being a little behind developmentally or having some feet problems.

 

[seminolewind]

I'm glad she settled in well in your flock. I love when they love to be held! The one in my avatar is Lola who will want to be held by me or hubby.