Leg and Respiratory Issues- Chicks

[Hufflefluff]

Hello!
I'm going to address two separate problems here, so apologies in advance if that confuses you.
For a little background, I have ten chicks between one and two weeks old. They have a little less than a square foot each in a cardboard box brooding system with a Mama Heating Pad. We're planning to expand the brooder again tomorrow. Our bedding is pine shavings. We got all chicks from the same store, which buys all of their chicks from the same hatchery. They have not been medicated and aren't on medicated feed. 8 out of the ten chicks are perfectly healthy.

Of the two that aren't, the one I'm most worried about has what I think is a lame leg. This chick is about one week old, and while she is the same age as our four other 1 week old chicks she is now definitely the smallest (all standard breeds, including her.) She was moving around fine when we got her last Friday, but about three days ago we noticed her limping. One of her legs will not support any of her weight. She kind of hops around on her one good leg, uses her wings on the ground for balance, and lays around a lot. She seems very cold and sleepy; we take them out to play under a heat lamp sometimes, and she always lays down right under it. When she tries to use her leg, it gives out on her completely.
Thing I know for sure:

• This problem has developed since we brought her home
• Her leg is not paralyzed (she can still move it, it just can't support her.)
• She still has nerves in her leg (another chick pecked it today and she squaked; she reacts when I touch it)
• Her leg will not support any weight
• It's not splay leg (it's not out to the side, and she has control of where it is compared to her body)
• It's not dislocated/ broken (this one I'm pretty sure of- I've moved the leg in walking motions and applied light pressure to everywhere from her hip to her toes, none of which has caused her any pain)
• There are no peck marks/ blood/ other visible injuries

Any advice would be very much appreciated. We'll probably move her and our second smallest chick, a cochin, into an isolation brooder tomorrow where it's easier for her to get around. She's a Barnevelder, if that counts for anything. She's eating and drinking a little, and her poops, when she poops, are pretty healthy (a little slimy, but nothing out of the ordinary.)

The second chick problem is much less severe. Our two week old sussex has developed what I think is some kind a respiratory issue; when she breathes it sounds moist and almost crackly sometimes, and she keeps sneezing. She's eating very well, drinking well, and has perfectly healthy poops. She's very active, and still very much our head chick. I'm mostly asking because it sounds weird and I think I've heard another one of the chicks start to sneeze a little. Any info or advice is welcome.

Thank you all so much!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

the one I'm most worried about has what I think is a lame leg. This chick is about one week old, and while she is the same age as our four other 1 week old chicks she is now definitely the smallest (all standard breeds, including her.) She was moving around fine when we got her last Friday, but about three days ago we noticed her limping. One of her legs will not support any of her weight. She kind of hops around on her one good leg, uses her wings on the ground for balance, and lays around a lot. She seems very cold and sleepy;

Can you post some photos of the leg and poop or a video of how she moves around? (upload videos to youtube, then provide a link)
Chicks can have various problems with the legs - bone deformities, genetics, injury, improper incubation - all these are possibilities.
Since she seems cold, then it would be better to move her to her own area and provide her with a little more heat to see if she improves. Add some vitamins that contain B2(riboflavin) to her water or feed. Try to keep her hydrated and eating.
Unfortunately, some chicks fail to thrive no matter what we do.

two week old sussex has developed what I think is some kind a respiratory issue; when she breathes it sounds moist and almost crackly sometimes, and she keeps sneezing. She's eating very well, drinking well, and has perfectly healthy poops. She's very active, and still very much our head chick

How often is she sneezing? When does she sneeze?
If she is active, eating/drinking - she may be getting some dust or food/water in her nostrils.
You can try VetRx to see if that helps.

 

[Hufflefluff]

Can you post some photos of the leg and poop or a video of how she moves around? (upload videos to youtube, then provide a link)
Chicks can have various problems with the legs - bone deformities, genetics, injury, improper incubation - all these are possibilities.
Since she seems cold, then it would be better to move her to her own area and provide her with a little more heat to see if she improves. Add some vitamins that contain B2(riboflavin) to her water or feed. Try to keep her hydrated and eating.
Unfortunately, some chicks fail to thrive no matter what we do.

I'm sorry I didn't see this until now. She ended up dying Friday night; our best guess is birth defect of some sort. Her leg got worse, her other one followed quickly, and then she couldn't/wouldn't open her eyes. We did end up isolating her in a warmer area with her own food and electrolyte water, but she still declined quickly. It was ridiculously fast- she was probably 7 or 8 days old when she died, and we noticed the symptoms about 3 days before she passed. Thank you, though for the advice.

How often is she sneezing? When does she sneeze?
If she is active, eating/drinking - she may be getting some dust or food/water in her nostrils.
You can try VetRx to see if that helps.

She's still sneezing, and now another one is sounding raspy too. She probably sneezes once every 10 ish minutes, hardly at all when she's sleeping, and it just sounds like a kind of wet sneeze- there's no mucus or liquid, and her nostrils are completely unobstructed by discharge. And thank you! That's what I was thinking; we have them on the really small mash feed we got from the feed store, but we'll try to go pick up crumble soon. Maybe that will help.

Thank you!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry for your loss

Yes, try wet feed or crumble to see if the feed makes a difference in the sneezing.

Keep us posted.