Help, hatched chicks can't stand

kmpcfp

Songster
9 Years
Mar 24, 2014
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Southern Maryland
I set 16 shipped faverolles eggs, 2 had no development, 6 had blood rings at day 7, and 8 made it to lock down. One died in shell some time earlier on, another died after during hatching malpositioned with an exposed yolk. I had 4 hatch Saturday about 18-24 hours earlier than expected (2 of those were malpositioned) with one last egg still peeping in the shell.

2 of the chicks that hatched yesterday are having trouble staying upright even though they are all over 18 hours old. They just fall over to their side and kick their legs. They will stand assisted, but it's almost like their toes stay hyper extended. One is worse off than the other. Do I need to give them more time or try to keep them in a position where their feet are down?
 
OK you need to look at the legs and feet id the legs splay out and they do a split they may have splayed legs. If that's the case what surface did they hatch on. However if you look at the feet and they look not straight they might have crooked toes. that can cause them to loose balance and fall over.

fixing splayed legs is quiet simple do this with some band ads
iu

However fixing crooked toes you need to take some clay or play-do or tape and do this
iu
 
Thanks, but the legs are not splayed out to both sides, the chicks have both legs out to the same side and are laying on their sides. Toes appear normal for faverolles.
 
well sometimes chicks can take up to 24 hours to stand if you want you can try to dip there beaks carefully in water do get them do drink if you worried but they also might be sick is there a vet near by that will take a look, because if they reach past 24 hours or start to look very lethargic tack them to the vet.
 
It's almost like they have vertigo. They lean to the side and fall over. I just gave them nutridrench and tried to do some physical therapy by holding them upright. One's eye was stuck shut and I was able to get it open and it seems to be doing better now.

They both have some sort of beak abnormality that I thought was hatch debris initially.

Pictured is the one worse off.

There is a third one that has a red dot in the same spot, but is acting normally.
 

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They are vitamin deficient. Get them on some good b vitamins. I use Poultry Cell which usually does the trick. Durvets B complex also is great, but it is solely B vitamins which is why I start with poultry cell since it is fairly comprehensive and also has vitamin e and selenium.
 
were they shipped by a good breeder if you don't know there is a small possibility that just because they make it to lock down, doesn't always mean they are good for hatching. Sometimes they can have a deformity (internally, externally or both), or they're just generally weak. However hopefully HollowOfWhisps is correct and you only need to boost there vitamin B and they will be fine.
 
I set 16 shipped faverolles eggs, 2 had no development, 6 had blood rings at day 7, and 8 made it to lock down. One died in shell some time earlier on, another died after during hatching malpositioned with an exposed yolk. I had 4 hatch Saturday about 18-24 hours earlier than expected (2 of those were malpositioned) with one last egg still peeping in the shell.

2 of the chicks that hatched yesterday are having trouble staying upright even though they are all over 18 hours old. They just fall over to their side and kick their legs. They will stand assisted, but it's almost like their toes stay hyper extended. One is worse off than the other. Do I need to give them more time or try to keep them in a position where their feet are down?
I'm sure you've probably resolved this by now. I had one with crooked toes and couldn't stand from the one leg. I made tiny shoes. I cut tiny shoe soles of plastic from a lunch meat container and fastened it with a couple bandaids to avoid tape on baby toes. I did both feet so they would be equal and not trying to walk lopsided. I also read to gently massage the tendons of the knee joints and legs. Make sure the tendons aren't split is what the vet who wrote the article said. He said massage would align the tendons and help strengthen them. And he recommended making the plastic baby shoes.It worked, at the end of the second day the baby was walking okay.And it knocked it's own shoes off.
 
Thanks, unfortunately they have more issues than just their legs. One is missing ribs on one side and has severe scoliosis along with the twisted tibia. She gets out of breath easily. The second has the twisted tibia as well as some sort of hard internal growth in her lower abdomen, as well as a bit of scoliosis. They are both managing for now and hobbling around at 11 days old. They are eating and drinking on their own and interacting with their hatch mates. I imagine they won't live for much longer, especially if/when they begin laying eggs if they even make it that long. They are comfortable for now, though.
 

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