how do I slow down the growth of a chick????

[oesdog]

Ok - My wee chick has a deformity. She has a curved breast bone. Our vet being the helpful person he is just said neck her! - I don;t think he would have said the same thing if she was a parrot! - Anyhow I got home and decided to reserch myself as we tend to have to do a lot with our chickens. I looked up the Avian medical site and discovered I can help her!!!!!!!! Apparently !!!!!!!!!!! But I need to slow her growth down and introduce more Vitamin B1 and B2 and also extra calcium. How do I do this without hurting her more???? At the moment she is a lot better then she was in that we thought she was dieing but is now getting back up on her feet to feed and drink. So I need to help her as much as I can. She is 14 weeks old so has a lot of growing time. I am wondering if it is long enough to try to correct some of the curve????

Can anyone come up with a good diet idea for her that will give her all she needs and also add to it the extras to help her bones.

Oesdog -

She lives still!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Yeah I am daft and Ilove her much!!!!!!!! She is a cuckoo Maran so will be a big girl and needs her feet!

 

[pennie1]

I'm not sure you could safely slow down her growth without causing other problems, but you could try giving her layer feed with the added vitamins that you say she needs. There is less protein in the layer, but complete vitamins are still there. Good luck

 

[dsqard]

I would suggest reducing her protien intake. See if you can get a lower protien feed.
ETA - the layer food might be good since it will have the calcium as well that apparently is needed and is lower in protien.

 

[FlashPointFarm]

The calcium in the layer could damage her growth plates in her legs. To slow the growth on any living thing, you starve them.

 

[pennie1]

Or maybe feed her scratch grains. I've heard they are pretty non essential, but at least it wouldn't starve her.

 

[oesdog]

Thanks - poor critter! I may try layers I was thinking of giving her Tuna? It is hard to know what to do for the best. I mean I was giving her extra protein like Egg and yogurt to biuld her up! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh - Apparently Pigeons suffer from this as well!!!!!!!

Thanks anyhow guys
Oesdog

 

[xyresicchick]

i would feed cooked chopped brussel sprouts. high in calcium, but not too high. my chicks loved that as a treat.

definitely lower the protein intake.

if you have cornmeal in your kitchen you can feed that until you get lower protein feed. cooked brown rice is a good option as well.
maybe look for some regular bird seed that is mostly fiber for wild birds. and add a supplement to it or feed steamed (and cooled) veggies that are chopped like i mentioned above for additional nutrients. fine chopped grass (lawn clippings) might be a good option as well, provided you do not treat your grass with synthetic fertilizers.

i hope this helps.

chic

 

[bigredfeather]

If you have access to goat milk, I would try that. High in the B's, Calcium/Magnesium, and not super high in protein.

 

[oesdog]

I got a post back from a fellow from a vet place and he kind of said the same as you all put the chicks on layers. I was thinking about giving them Banana and Tuns as that is high in vit B apparently. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh - Anyhow my wee girl was up on her feet when I went in and she stayed up for about 5 mins so that was a good thing.
I am sooooooooo wanting her to be ok. Chicken love is so complicated. I mean I just cooked one for Sunday T and one not feet away in my dinning room I am despirately trying to save?????? Odd folk are we not???

Oesdog

 

[Bring]

My friend had a hen who had a curved/misshapened breast bone. She did just fine. In fact her eggs cane out misshapened too.