Gimpy and Dying Chick!!! What do I do??

[JessOwen]

I have a 4 to 5 week old chicken that I saved 9 days ago because the mother hen wasn't taking care of it. It was slow and had gimpy feet and legs. She falls over very easily and if you picked her up and them put her back down the toes would curl up and she would face plant. She had been getting better and was eating and it seemed like her legs were getting stronger, the feet still curled but not to bad. She was doing very good yesterday morning but when I got home at about 3:30 she can't walk, can't stand, she won't eat, won't drink, and just lays. Her feet has got so bad that she can't keep her toes strait and her legs are so bad that she can't keep them under her and she just goes straddle leged. What is wrong with her and what can I do to save her if it's at all possible?

 

[Isaac 0]

Curling of the toes can mean a Riboflavin deficiency.I would Isolate her in a dog kennel and provide scrambled eggs and tuna.I would recommend getting poultry vitamins such as Rooster Booster or poultry Nutri Dench and give it to her with a syringe or eye dropper in the mouth.

Many tissues may be affected by riboflavin deficiency, although the epithelium and the myelin sheaths of some of the main nerves are major targets. Changes in the sciatic nerves produce “curled-toe” paralysis in growing chickens. Egg production is affected, and riboflavin-deficient eggs do not hatch. When the diet is inadvertently devoid of the entire spectrum of vitamins, it is signs of riboflavin deficiency that first appear. When chicks are fed a diet deficient in riboflavin, their appetite is fairly good but they grow slowly, become weak and emaciated, and develop diarrhea between the first and second weeks. Deficient chicks are reluctant to move unless forced and then frequently walk on their hocks with the aid of their wings. The leg muscles are atrophied and flabby, and the skin is dry and harsh. In advanced stages of deficiency, the chicks lie prostrate with their legs extended, sometimes in opposite directions. The characteristic sign of riboflavin deficiency is a marked enlargement of the sciatic and brachial nerve sheaths; sciatic nerves usually show the most pronounced effects. Histologic examination of the affected nerves shows degenerative changes in the myelin sheaths that, when severe, pinch the nerve. This produces a permanent stimulus, which causes the curled-toe paralysis.http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poult...ement-poultry/vitamin-deficiencies-in-poultry

 

[JessOwen]

Curling of the toes can mean a Riboflavin deficiency.I would Isolate her in a dog kennel and provide scrambled eggs and tuna.I would recommend getting poultry vitamins such as Rooster Booster or poultry Nutri Dench and give it to her with a syringe or eye dropper in the mouth.

Many tissues may be affected by riboflavin deficiency, although the epithelium and the myelin sheaths of some of the main nerves are major targets. Changes in the sciatic nerves produce “curled-toe” paralysis in growing chickens. Egg production is affected, and riboflavin-deficient eggs do not hatch. When the diet is inadvertently devoid of the entire spectrum of vitamins, it is signs of riboflavin deficiency that first appear. When chicks are fed a diet deficient in riboflavin, their appetite is fairly good but they grow slowly, become weak and emaciated, and develop diarrhea between the first and second weeks. Deficient chicks are reluctant to move unless forced and then frequently walk on their hocks with the aid of their wings. The leg muscles are atrophied and flabby, and the skin is dry and harsh. In advanced stages of deficiency, the chicks lie prostrate with their legs extended, sometimes in opposite directions. The characteristic sign of riboflavin deficiency is a marked enlargement of the sciatic and brachial nerve sheaths; sciatic nerves usually show the most pronounced effects. Histologic examination of the affected nerves shows degenerative changes in the myelin sheaths that, when severe, pinch the nerve. This produces a permanent stimulus, which causes the curled-toe paralysis.http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poult...ement-poultry/vitamin-deficiencies-in-poultry

Thank you so much for the info..... but if I get these vitamins in her will she come back and start eating herself? Right now I have to force feed her everything she eats. Also will her toes straiten out by themselves and will her legs go back by themselves? I've done a lot of research on this and i'm not sure if I should make booties for her feet and tie her legs together to help them heal right or if I should just let her be and supply her with the vitamins.

 

[Isaac 0]

Thank you so much for the info..... but if I get these vitamins in her will she come back and start eating herself? Right now I have to force feed her everything she eats. Also will her toes straiten out by themselves and will her legs go back by themselves? I've done a lot of research on this and i'm not sure if I should make booties for her feet and tie her legs together to help them heal right or if I should just let her be and supply her with the vitamins.



Yes,It should.

 

[Isaac 0]

I would make a chicken hammock like this one.Put her feet through the holes and the you can tie them together.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Any photos?

In addition to the good information that @MasterOfClucker has given. You may need to tape the toes (see link below). Getting her hydrated is first thing. B2(Riboflavin) should help with the curling. If you can't find poultry vitamins, then you can crush a human B-Complex vitamin and add it to her chick starter. Egg and tuna as suggested are sometimes well taken in addition to normal feed, so if she will eat those, that would be good.

Keep us posted.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1139759/curled-up-chick-toes (post #3)

 

[JessOwen]

Thank y'all so much she seems to be getting better today but she still won't eat. She is drinking a little by herself though. I'll keep giving her the vitamins and hopefully she'll get better.

 

[Isaac 0]

Thank y'all so much she seems to be getting better today but she still won't eat. She is drinking a little by herself though. I'll keep giving her the vitamins and hopefully she'll get better.

Is she pooping?

 

[JessOwen]

Is she pooping?

Yes but I don't think she's pooping enough though. Her poop is very runny when she does poop but her crop is full and bulging out. I haven't feed her since last night.... should I be worried and if so what can I do to help her?

 

[Isaac 0]

Try filling your hand with chick starter and offering it to her often.How does her crop feel?