Japanese chick loses balance and spazzes out!!

[katychick]

I am out of ideas, someone help?!? We have one Japanese 5 week old chick all of a sudden acting strange. Originally she was the most active, loudest chirper& cutest little spit fire we had. Then one day we woke up to her squatting a lot and appearing off balance. Each day it got worse so I separated her from the others. She will try to walk, get a few steps in and then freak out, flailing about all over the brooder until she finally ends up pinned in a corner. More facts:
Bedding was paper towels for 4 weeks. Now is pine shavings.
Use heat lamp 24 hours
Feeding non medicated chick feed with a small mixture of Ultra chick supplement feed. Eating and drinking very small amounts.
Poops are normal.
When I dip her beak in water she completely spazzes out, almost like a seizure. She will stretch and twist her neck out until she just collapses.
No other chicks are having problems.
Things I have tried:
Electrolytes in water.
Corrid for 4 days in water, no change.
Then Vitamins E and selenium mixed in food for 3 days, no change.
We took her out of her brooder today and let her try to walk around on a towel on the floor. She carefully took several steps but was constantly trying to find a spot to hide under like under my daughter's legs or a towel. Then she would go nuts and flail all over the room until we could catch her or she ended up under something she felt comforted by. This is completely opposite of her personality two weeks ago. Before she was the most independent of all of them. It is so sad to see her like this. I am not sure if I am just prolonging the inevitable or not. Please anyone have any idea what this is or any advice?

 

[drumstick diva]

Does she show any signs of external injuries especially on or around her head? I wondering if she got pecked or injured somehow to cause brain damage. She probably is having seizures.

 

[ems chicks]

You may be able to try putting her on duramycen, i havehad a few chicks about 6 weeks old get sick and have issues with there balance, i have not seen the behavior issues, i am not sure what the age restrictions are for duramycen, but i have had good luck with it. Hope this helps...

 

[katychick]

She has no visible signs of injury at all. Her legs look perfect, no swelling anywhere. It's just so strange, she was our feistiest little chick. She was the first one to fly and our biggest explorer. Now she just wants to hide under everything. I am thinking it seems to be brain damage of some sort. Can chicks get an inner ear infection with no other physical symptoms?

 

[katychick]

Can you tell me what this is? Along with all of the other symptoms mentioned earlier now she seems to have a protruding swollen area on her right front chest. It is very hard, not at al squishy. See pictures. Please help!!

 

[katychick]

 

[katychick]

Help!! What is this?

 

[katychick]

Anybody have any thoughts on this lump? Can chickens get cancer?

 

[Blondiechic]

They can - but they can also get 'growths', I just had one taken out of one of my Silkies, between her shoulder blades...it was about the size of a brazil nut, initially the vet thought it was an ingrown feather, but, naturally, being one of my girls it had to be more dramatic - he cut it out and stitched her up and she is fine now...Perhaps yours had ingrown feathers? They aren't squishy and I guess, if they are like ingrown hairs can hurt...the vet injected some fluid to make it come out...

 

[Zrcalo]

looks like she has a lot of food in her crop. try taking away her food and only give her water for a while and see if that lump "disappears"

also check for chicken lice or mites. If they've gotten into her ear she may be spazzing out from them being in her ear. Also check to see if there are bugs or if a fly has laid eggs in her ear (I know it's gross!)

I once had a hen this happened to and she would tilt her neck upside down and to the side and keep backing up whenever I'd try to give her water. It was the weirdest thing.