injured chick?

[troyle]

So I have a chick that is 2 days old and shes laying on her side and her legs stretches out. she isn't eating but she drinks when we put her head in the water. Any idea whats happening? A possibility is that she was dropped the other day and that may have injured her leg. I don't know but i wanted to hear what you have to say. Also Her head is mostly bent back towards her back when she is laying. She was the first chick that hatched out my eggs and I don't want her to die.

 

[sylviethecochin]

This sounds like a vitamin deficiency. If so, in future, try putting your hens on a high protein diet, such as chick starter, and just giving them oyster shell on the side, when you want to collect their eggs for hatching. The eggs tend to have much more hatchability, and the chicks have fewer problems.

For the chick, I would give vitamin B complex (tablets for humans, liquid, anything) and put it in her water (the b-vitamins are water-soluble) This needs to be done ASAP, as vitamin B deals with nerve development, and damage can be permanent. I would also give her some vitamin E ([300] IU is the dose needed to correct deficiencies. That might be half a pill, depending on said pill).

 

[sylviethecochin]

Riboflavin (B3)
"Many tissues may be affected by riboflavin deficiency, although the epithelium and the myelin sheaths of some of the main nerves are major targets. Changes in the sciatic nerves produce “curled-toe” paralysis in growing chickens. "

"A 100-mcg dose should be sufficient for treatment of riboflavin-deficient chicks, followed by incorporation of an adequate level in the diet. However, when the curled-toe deformity is longstanding, irreparable damage occurs in the sciatic nerve, and the administration of riboflavin is no longer curative.

Most diets contain up to 10 mg of riboflavin/kg. Treatment can be given as two sequential daily 100-mcg doses for chicks or poults, followed by an adequate amount of riboflavin in feed."

Pyridoxine (B6)
"Young chicks may show nervous movements of the legs when walking and often undergo spasmodic convulsions, leading to death. During convulsions, the chicks may run about aimlessly, flapping their wings and falling with jerking motions."

Thiamine (B1)
"Poultry are also susceptible to neuromuscular problems, resulting in impaired digestion, general weakness, star-gazing, and frequent convulsions.

Polyneuritis may be seen in mature birds ~3 wk after they are fed a thiamine-deficient diet. As the deficiency progresses, birds may sit on flexed legs and draw back their heads in a star-gazing position. Retraction of the head is due to paralysis of the anterior neck muscles. Soon after this stage, chickens lose the ability to stand or sit upright and topple to the floor, where they may lie with heads still retracted."

"In otherwise adequate diets, deficiency is prevented by supplements of thiamine up to 4 mg/kg."

Vitamin E
"deficiency accompanied by sulfur amino acid deficiency results in severe muscular dystrophy in chicks by ~4 wk of age. This condition is characterized by degeneration of the muscle fibers, usually in the breast but sometimes also in the leg muscles."

"Oral administration of a single dose of vitamin E (300 IU per bird) usually causes remission." I stand corrected. I could have sworn it was 400 IU, but apparently, I misremembered. EDT: or they could have revised it. There are a few things I don't remember being in this article.

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...ement-poultry/vitamin-deficiencies-in-poultry

 

[troyle]

thank you I will try to get the vitamin b and e

 

[troyle]

Also is there anything that you can put in the Mama Hens water so that she can have healthy chicks because the hens do not seem to like the oyster shell. I had already tried giving them oyster shell but they just do not eat it.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Also is there anything that you can put in the Mama Hens water so that she can have healthy chicks because the hens do not seem to like the oyster shell. I had already tried giving them oyster shell but they just do not eat it.

Poultry vitamins are available, but I would do research on brands, because some of them are better than others. I've heard that a few brands leave out the B-vitamins almost completely. You can also buy liquid b-complex (available at many farm stores) and just add a little bit to their water.

 

[sourland]

Also is there anything that you can put in the Mama Hens water so that she can have healthy chicks because the hens do not seem to like the oyster shell. I had already tried giving them oyster shell but they just do not eat it.

Game bird breeder chow is a great feed to use with birds from whom hatching eggs are to be collected.

 

[troyle]

I got the liquid vitamin b complex so what do I do? Do I mix it with water? If so how much and cold or warm water? I dont want to overdoes

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a chick that is 2 days old and shes laying on her side and her legs stretches out.

she isn't eating but she drinks when we put her head in the water.

A possibility is that she was dropped the other day and that may have injured her leg

Also Her head is mostly bent back towards her back when she is laying.

I got the liquid vitamin b complex so what do I do? Do I mix it with water? If so how much and cold or warm water? I dont want to overdoes

Can you post some photos of your chick?

You mention that her head is bent towards her back, she lays on her side, her legs stretch out and she may have been dropped.
Has the head and leg issue resolved at all? Can she stand up, walk, move?

If you can get a photo of the B-Complex you have, that may be helpful too. For a chick this young, I would give it 2 drops twice (2X) a day.
The head bent back is concerning if that has not corrected - I would try to get her to eat. If she won't eat wet chick feed, then try mashed up egg. Vitamin E is also helpful sometimes - this can be found in Poultry Nutri-Drench or you can use Vitamin E capsules, just prick it to get the oil out, probably for her size, I would give 1-2 drops once a day.

 

[troyle]

2 drops of how much though? The highest is 1 ml