Help! First Chick Hatched — What is that in shell?!

[Shelbysoobs]

They get Nutra-Drench water after their first drinks of water so a few hours after they're in the brooder. A day of fresh water, then probiotic water if any got pasty butt but none usually do.

If they were fuzzy and seeming fine when I see they have splayed legs, I just bind them with a very thin strip of vet wrap right away. I don't wait any time for anything as treatment is asap for best results. Splayed legs take 3 days. Curly toes we had once, and those took just 1 day. (Taped feet to a little piece of cardboard.)

We’re at 23 hrs and 30 minute mark since hatch and he’s still shaking on his back.. so I’m clarifying that the best thing for me to do next is to put him in a toothpick holder for 12 hrs then see if he can walk after that? If not 12 more hours? I’m guessing I can’t diagnose splayed leg until he’s upright because I can’t see if his legs are the correct direction if he can’t use them at all yet? If I can get him upright then I can determine if the vet wrap is needed for splayed leg? And wry neck treatment is just vitamins so nothing to do there since I’ll be giving him those regardless?

 

[Debbie292d]

We’re at 23 hrs and 30 minute mark since hatch and he’s still shaking on his back.. so I’m clarifying that the best thing for me to do next is to put him in a toothpick holder for 12 hrs then see if he can walk after that? If not 12 more hours? I’m guessing I can’t diagnose splayed leg until he’s upright because I can’t see if his legs are the correct direction if he can’t use them at all yet? If I can get him upright then I can determine if the vet wrap is needed for splayed leg? And wry neck treatment is just vitamins so nothing to do there since I’ll be giving him those regardless?

That does mean something else is wrong, but you're not sure if it's splayed legs or not yet? He must be dry and fluffy now, and still just laying on his back? Usually, they try walking and just sit. I've not had one just stay on its back. Try see if you could stand him up. If his legs do the splits, that's splayed legs.

Can you get a few pictures of this chick? It would be helpful as it's hard to know what's wrong.

 

[Shelbysoobs]

That does mean something else is wrong, but you're not sure if it's splayed legs or not yet? He must be dry and fluffy now, and still just laying on his back? Usually, they try walking and just sit. I've not had one just stay on its back. Try see if you could stand him up. If his legs do the splits, that's splayed legs.

Can you get a few pictures of this chick? It would be helpful as it's hard to know what's wrong.

Yes absolutely! Every time we try to right it upward, it shoots across the incubator like a bullet and flips onto its back again. We’ve been syringe feeding nutri drench and its neck is somewhat straight sometimes now. Whereas before it was SO curled backward we thought maybe it couldn’t stay upright because its neck and head were making him flop back? I tried the toothpick container to keep him upright and he haaaaated that. Pushed off the bottom of the container and leaned his neck out as far as he could until he was able to topple it over. So we gave up on that and decided to let him go back to flopping. Tried splaying the legs and again flipped over onto his back and was frantically kicking his legs so much that the vet wrap flew out of the incubator. Seriously this poor chick!!!!

Here’s a video of right now, I thought that might be a better view: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M58yXiQfRxPMmzGPV9lVXh12sCMQ0vTZ/view?usp=drivesdk

Here’s this morning (especially at end you can see the shaking I am talking about): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TWk_-jwpSNSDPg6lJQc4tWk9swNgZv1T/view?usp=drivesdk

Here’s a few hours after hatch:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YD9nQnrLPcSdzCNFD4KqdsJiY4EJHilG/view?usp=drivesdk

I honestly can’t tell if he’s making progress. It seems like his legs are moving more whereas at first only one was kicking and the other was tucked up? And his neck is still kinked.. still not able to be on his belly or stand.. I’m not sure what to think. I’m hoping that nutri drench and poultry cell will give him the strength to keep fighting and time will help him recover..

 

[Debbie292d]

Yes absolutely! Every time we try to right it upward, it shoots across the incubator like a bullet and flips onto its back again. We’ve been syringe feeding nutri drench and its neck is somewhat straight sometimes now. Whereas before it was SO curled backward we thought maybe it couldn’t stay upright because its neck and head were making him flop back? I tried the toothpick container to keep him upright and he haaaaated that. Pushed off the bottom of the container and leaned his neck out as far as he could until he was able to topple it over. So we gave up on that and decided to let him go back to flopping. Tried splaying the legs and again flipped over onto his back and was frantically kicking his legs so much that the vet wrap flew out of the incubator. Seriously this poor chick!!!!

Here’s a video of right now, I thought that might be a better view: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M58yXiQfRxPMmzGPV9lVXh12sCMQ0vTZ/view?usp=drivesdk

Here’s this morning (especially at end you can see the shaking I am talking about): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TWk_-jwpSNSDPg6lJQc4tWk9swNgZv1T/view?usp=drivesdk

Here’s a few hours after hatch:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YD9nQnrLPcSdzCNFD4KqdsJiY4EJHilG/view?usp=drivesdk

I honestly can’t tell if he’s making progress. It seems like his legs are moving more whereas at first only one was kicking and the other was tucked up? And his neck is still kinked.. still not able to be on his belly or stand.. I’m not sure what to think. I’m hoping that nutri drench and poultry cell will give him the strength to keep fighting and time will help him recover..

It does seem to me that it's just not getting the strength in its legs that it should be by now. The legs don't seem to be very splayed but hard to know when it's on it's back.

I'd put it incubator to 95F and also start doing a bit of leg therapy holding him up so he has to stand on his legs. Put a few crumbles in front of him and see if he'd eat. If not, pick him up and set him back on his feet, holding him there. Do that for a few seconds, then up, then a few more seconds, for total of about a minute every half an hour or so. He looks so close to being able to do it.

Also, the vitamins are good! Be sure he's getting some clear water too in between.

 

[Shelbysoobs]

It does seem to me that it's just not getting the strength in its legs that it should be by now. The legs don't seem to be very splayed but hard to know when it's on it's back.

I'd put it incubator to 95F and also start doing a bit of leg therapy holding him up so he has to stand on his legs. Put a few crumbles in front of him and see if he'd eat. If not, pick him up and set him back on his feet, holding him there. Do that for a few seconds, then up, then a few more seconds, for total of about a minute every half an hour or so. He looks so close to being able to do it.

Also, the vitamins are good! Be sure he's getting some clear water too in between.

Thank you for the tips!! I will do all of those things. I will also lower the incubator to 95. I was able to get tape his legs again and it stayed this time. He still can’t keep them under him. I held him upright a bit and he couldn’t sustain it on his own, he was twitching furiously not sure if that’s involuntary or not. He also wouldn’t eat when I stuck his beak in some crumble (he had free movement of his neck, I was only holding his body). I gave him some more vitamin water and plain water too (alternated syringes). For now he’s back in the bator. He’s laying on his side with his leg straight back, toes curled (can’t tell if they need to be taped but I figured one problem at a time — get him standing first and then determine if his toes are curled once he can stand?)

 

[Debbie292d]

Thank you for the tips!! I will do all of those things. I will also lower the incubator to 95. I was able to get tape his legs again and it stayed this time. He still can’t keep them under him. I held him upright a bit and he couldn’t sustain it on his own, he was twitching furiously not sure if that’s involuntary or not. He also wouldn’t eat when I stuck his beak in some crumble (he had free movement of his neck, I was only holding his body). I gave him some more vitamin water and plain water too (alternated syringes). For now he’s back in the bator. He’s laying on his side with his leg straight back, toes curled (can’t tell if they need to be taped but I figured one problem at a time — get him standing first and then determine if his toes are curled once he can stand?)

That's so good he's sleeping. This chick is now 4 days old though, right? It needs to eat. Try making a mash by wetting crumbles in a small dish, like a peanut butter jar lid. I would think it would go for that as it has to be hungry.

If it won't eat, try putting some raw egg yolk in a syringe or eye dropper and drip it at the side of his beak. You can add a few drops of water to it to make it more juicy if it's too thick.

 

[MrsMeanGreen]

Any updates on the late bloomer, did they improve?

 

[Shelbysoobs]

That's so good he's sleeping. This chick is now 4 days old though, right? It needs to eat. Try making a mash by wetting crumbles in a small dish, like a peanut butter jar lid. I would think it would go for that as it has to be hungry.

If it won't eat, try putting some raw egg yolk in a syringe or eye dropper and drip it at the side of his beak. You can add a few drops of water to it to make it more juicy if it's too thick.

Thank you so much for coming back to check on us and our baby chick! We syringe fed it water and nutri drench alternating and tried to hand feed it crumbles and see if it could take in food if we held him at a small food dish. He still couldn’t stand up and would flail about constantly and made no attempt to try and eat on his own. After 7 or 8 days or so of no improvement it passed away. Probably a case where the assisted hatch shouldn’t have happened but you don’t know until after it comes out if it’s one of those cases or not. I think he couldn’t hatch because his neck was broken somehow and both hips maybe too. Not his legs could he move those all around but he couldn’t bear any weight through them. I just hope he didn’t suffer too much, he definitely stuck around longer than I thought he would.

 

[Shelbysoobs]

Any updates on the late bloomer, did they improve?

Unfortunately not though they definitely gave it their best effort and we tried to honor that but it was just not improving and it was too hard to get enough in it. He hasn’t improved or grown at all after 7 days. I think it had broken neck / hips and a neurological issue as well.