help please! 7 day old chick tucking its head and rolling onto its back!

[kl115]

Hi all! First off, I have NO experience with chickens. My son's science class hatched eggs and the students were allowed to take a chick home. We took one to raise with the expectation to give it to a friend that has chickens.
This chick was very late hatching. The last one to hatch actually. It needed help getting out of the eggs and afterwards just laied on its side with eyes closed, not moving. The teacher was not expecting it to live through the night. But it did and we brought it home.
It is now 7 days old and is eating, drinking and running like normal. BUT on occasion it will tuck its head and roll over into its back. Like a front somersault. Sometimes its flips back over right away and sometimes it lays there!
Anyone know what is going on with it & what ( if anything ) I should do?? Thank you for reading!

 

[kl115]

When it was born it appeared to have a deformed wing but since then it moves it and flaps it so I'm thinking the feathers are just a bit messed up. I have it on medicated chick food and have been using the probiotic in the water.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! You might want to post on the Emergencies forum about the chick https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures For now, you might want to try giving it or adding vitamins to its water (like Poly-Vit-Sol with out iron), and/or taking it off the medicated food unless you know you have coccidia problems.
You might also like to check out the BYC Learning Center, lots of good articles on all aspects of chicken keeping. https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

 

[kl115]

OK! Thanks so much for your reply!!

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

Kelsie X2. Chicks like that need more vitamins. Poly-vi-sol is great for new babies. Sometimes they have vitamin deficiencies and sometimes stress just gets to them. You can also add some sugar to the water for a few days before you get the vitamins. Chopped up hard boiled eggs is great emergency food and get their appetites geared up too.

Good luck with this little guy. I hope he makes a full recovery.

 

[kl115]

Thanks so much!! I did boil an egg and mashed it up but my chick is not interested in it one bit It does eat lots of its regular food though

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Welcome to BYC.

Glad you joined us!

 

[gander007]

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

We're glad to have you.

 

[kl115]

Thank you!