Help! Chicks are not walking straight and falling down!

[oknecee]

I have 2 RIR chicks about 2 months old that are not doing well. I noticed the first one yesterday and then the other today. they act like they don't have any balance and can't sit up or hold their heads up. When they walk, they walk sideways and then fall down. Help! What is wrong with them?

 

[chickens asome]

are they drinking water or did they maby drink somyhig othere tan water

 

[meriruka]

Is there anything they could have eaten that may be harmful?
Could the feed have gotten wet/moldy?

 

[oknecee]

They have only had water to drink and no access to get into anything different. I hadn't thought about their food. It has been rainy and wet here in Oklahoma. I didn't notice their food being wet but I guess it could have happened or gotten really damp from the humidity. Would that cause them to be really sickly. They were in the pen with about 13 or 14 others, but I removed them and started giving them Tetracycline. I thought sure the first one would die, but I keep watching her closely and giving her drinks. She is not doing very good but she keeps hanging in there. The second one to get sick seemed a little better this evening but I noticed her being sick earlier than I did the first one.

 

[dlhunicorn]

yes indeed... when in such a large group it is easy (and quite common) that a couple will be bullied away from food or drink (or simply are too timid to fight for a place and their portion) > they dont even have to be pecked per se... I have seen my birds not dare to go near a feeding dish and be warned away by a certain type of sound made by another bird. They might in desperation have been eating "leftovers" which may not have been fresh or lying there (perhaps wet or soiled by poo or such) .
Keep them separated, make sure their feed and water is fresh.
You can give them polyvisol enfamil > three drops in beak once a day for a week and also a complete general vitamin like aviacharge 2000.
Mix in some wheatgermoil through their feed also or give one combi vit.E/selenium geltab (human> get the combo with both the vit E and selenium and make sure the amount of selenium in each tab does not exceed 50 micrograms .

 

[oknecee]

dlhunicorn, Thank you so much for the advice. I will do as you have suggested. They were in an even larger group until a couple of days before. I originally had 100 RIR chicks. I have about 80 now. I have been breaking them up into smaller groups this last week. I have 2 pens left which have 13 or 14 birds in each. I have moved all the rest into groups of 6 or 7.

I am fairly new to raising chickens. Everyone I know thinks I am crazy but I am absolutely love them. My husband says I talk to my chickens more than to him. LOL. They don't argue back as much. I am learning as I go. I have lost a few but I am getting much better at noticing when one is not doing as well as the rest. I hope I have caught these two in time to save them. It just breaks my heart to watch them be sick or suffer. I have new babies hatching in the incubator today and that is so exciting. Thanks again for your advice.