Limping Chick

[JaimeEggert]

We just recently got baby chicks and our new to raising chickens. Our chicks are roughly 3 weeks old and one of them developed a limp. She is considerably smaller than our other chicks and has not quite developed as many of her adult feathers as the others. What could be wrong with her? What should/can I do?

 

[Danger96]

I have one also, from what I could find out is it could be a sprain or Marek. Does it walk on the leg at all?

 

[JaimeEggert]

I have one also, from what I could find out is it could be a sprain or Marek. Does it walk on the leg at all?

It will, just wont bear a lot of weight on it.

 

[Celebrity Chickens]

I just had some chicks that developed limps at a couple days old and read on here that B vitamins help with some leg problems in young chicks. I fed them some nutritional yeast and it totally resolved in 1-2 days. Don't know if that might help your older chick but thought I would mention it! Good luck!

 

[Danger96]

It could just be a sprain, if there aren‘t any sores or noticeable injuries. I would maybe try to give her a little time to herself to rest. Make sure she’s eating and drinking.

 

[Danger96]

I just had some chicks that developed limps at a couple days old and read on here that B vitamins help with some leg problems in young chicks. I fed them some nutritional yeast and it totally resolved in 1-2 days. Don't know if that might help your older chick but thought I would mention it! Good luck!

tonight was their first time out of coop to free range for about an hour, I’m leaning towards maybe a sprain because they were having a ball being out. She did have some poop (Fresh) stuck in her foot, which we cleaned off. I figure I’ll check her in the morning and if she limping I’ll keep her in the run/coop.

 

[JaimeEggert]

I just had some chicks that developed limps at a couple days old and read on here that B vitamins help with some leg problems in young chicks. I fed them some nutritional yeast and it totally resolved in 1-2 days. Don't know if that might help your older chick but thought I would mention it! Good luck!

Is this something I could get at like the local tractor supply store? Or would I be better off ordering online?

 

[Celebrity Chickens]

I got it at trader joe's. I think grocery stores and health food stores have it - common vegan food/flavoring. You can buy chick vitamins or even dissolve vitamin B tablets in water (from what I've read) but I used nutritional yeast because it is what I had on hand.
You can also make a chick sling or chair to suspend the chick off the ground and let the injured leg rest for a bit - I made a sling from a cut off leg of pantyhose with holes cut out for the chick's legs, head, and a poop hole in the back