Help! New to forum and have mystery with Lavender Orp chick

[Chickaddict44]

Hi everyone...I am fairly new to chicken keeping other than having them as a child and I'm having issues with one of my 4 week old Lavender Orpingtons I bought from a breeder. I bought three from her, ages 2 and 1 week. Within days I noticed one having what seemed to be some wing weakness but the next day was okay. It would go off and on like that. I thought maybe it was the heat. They are in my barn in quarantine from my flock where it is cooler. They are fed chick starter and was told she fed medicated feed. The other day I went in to clean the cage and she was off on her own so I went over to see what she was doing and she could not walk. On advice of a friends avian vet (avian vet locally was away) was told it sounded like a vitamin deficiency . So I started her on brewers yeast, children Vitamin D and Poul-Vite added to the water. I also fed her boiled egg for the first two days. She eats well, drinks lots and has normal poop...just can't move her legs well. Will fall over and flap about. The breeder said she has no sick birds and neither do I so it does seem either neurological or a deficiency of some type. Its been 5 days on a rickets diet of boiled egg, fish oil, yogurt, honey, beef cat food, vitamins, and rice baby cereal...not much improvement. If anyone has any advice or experience in this I would greatly appreciate it especially when it comes to amount of time it takes to see improvement or when it is time to give up. She is truly a sweet chick..was always the first to greet me and fly to my lap. She's living in the house separated from the rest. If she makes it through this she may not realize she is a chicken...lol

 

[Chickaddict44]

No one has some experience to offer?

 

[luvmichx]

Hi everyone...I am fairly new to chicken keeping other than having them as a child and I'm having issues with one of my 4 week old Lavender Orpingtons I bought from a breeder. I bought three from her, ages 2 and 1 week. Within days I noticed one having what seemed to be some wing weakness but the next day was okay. It would go off and on like that. I thought maybe it was the heat. They are in my barn in quarantine from my flock where it is cooler. They are fed chick starter and was told she fed medicated feed. The other day I went in to clean the cage and she was off on her own so I went over to see what she was doing and she could not walk. On advice of a friends avian vet (avian vet locally was away) was told it sounded like a vitamin deficiency . So I started her on brewers yeast, children Vitamin D and Poul-Vite added to the water. I also fed her boiled egg for the first two days. She eats well, drinks lots and has normal poop...just can't move her legs well. Will fall over and flap about. The breeder said she has no sick birds and neither do I so it does seem either neurological or a deficiency of some type. Its been 5 days on a rickets diet of boiled egg, fish oil, yogurt, honey, beef cat food, vitamins, and rice baby cereal...not much improvement. If anyone has any advice or experience in this I would greatly appreciate it especially when it comes to amount of time it takes to see improvement or when it is time to give up. She is truly a sweet chick..was always the first to greet me and fly to my lap. She's living in the house separated from the rest. If she makes it through this she may not realize she is a chicken...lol

Hi, I'm fairly new to chicken keeping myself but saw your post so here goes.....I have a chick that had one splayed leg so I started her on poly-vi-sol baby vitamins without iron and apple cider vinegar in the drinking water. I also increased protein intake by feeding scrambled eggs daily. It took almost two weeks but now the chick is walking fine. No deficits. Not sure if this helps. I am of the mind set that less is more so perhaps cut out all the other stuff and just try vitamins and protein....hope she gets better.

 

[Chickaddict44]

Thank you for responding. You are actually the second person to recommend the ACV..I will give it a go starting tomorrow. Poor thing is completely normal except her legs are very weak. Glad you had a positive outcome.

 

[hllewellyn]

Hi! The only experience I have had with birds unable to walk or showing partial paralysis was because of Marecs (spelling?) disease. It's a type of herpes and its the worst thing ever. Separate this chick immediately just in case. I really hope it's not that as its incurable even if it seems to go away temporarily. If you could confirm whether this is the cause it is best to dispatch the bird before it infects others. Good luck, I hope your chick gets better!!

 

[Mei&Popcorn]

Hi! The only experience I have had with birds unable to walk or showing partial paralysis was because of Marecs (spelling?) disease. It's a type of herpes and its the worst thing ever. Separate this chick immediately just in case. I really hope it's not that as its incurable even if it seems to go away temporarily. If you could confirm whether this is the cause it is best to dispatch the bird before it infects others. Good luck, I hope your chick gets better!!

For more info on marek's, search up the great big marek FAQ... It's an article on BYC (sorry, I would link it but I don't know how on my phone)


Good luck, I hope you find out what it is!

 

[luvmichx]

Thank you for responding. You are actually the second person to recommend the ACV..I will give it a go starting tomorrow. Poor thing is completely normal except her legs are very weak. Glad you had a positive outcome.

Thank you and you're welcome Hope this helps your chick too..

 

[Chickaddict44]

Update: She has spraddle leg which I did research and didn't think she had because she never sat like pics showed and she was 4 weeks...didn't think it would just suddenly show up at that age. I took her to the vet. She put a brace on her legs made from surgical tape and this morning I am happy to say she is already standing on her own for a few minutes. Her leg muscles are very week. I will start her physical therapy today.

 

[nikmetz]

Help !! I'm soooo frustrated! I buy shipped eggs have two incubators. Right now been trying to hatch silkies. Can get them to hatch. They seem fine and healthy. And four days later or so. Won't walk. Beeck opens and closes widely like it gasping or Gonna die ! l Have even nursed one with sugar water and a dropper. I have it in a box with towel lining. Brooder water food. And found it this morning even sitting outside its brooder. Feeling very defeated ready to put it up and sad can't get it to work. Is it really this difficult to get a baby chick to just live longer than a week.

 

[barbiegirl]

Help !! I'm soooo frustrated! I buy shipped eggs have two incubators. Right now been trying to hatch silkies. Can get them to hatch. They seem fine and healthy. And four days later or so. Won't walk. Beeck opens and closes widely like it gasping or Gonna die ! l Have even nursed one with sugar water and a dropper. I have it in a box with towel lining. Brooder water food. And found it this morning even sitting outside its brooder. Feeling very defeated ready to put it up and sad can't get it to work. Is it really this difficult to get a baby chick to just live longer than a week.

What temperature do you have your brooder at? New chicks need to be kept warm. Did you read this article? Maybe it can help you. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/raising-your-baby-chicks