New chick acting weird (is this normsl???)

[hsm5grls]

One of my new barred chicks is acting diff. from the rest. She has no balance and keeps falling on her face. The others are all walking fine. She just keeps picking at herself and seems really agitated. Am I just over paranoid or should I be worried. When she drinks she pecks at the water right at her feet and kinda tilts her head to the side in a weird way. She just seems diff. than the rest.

 

[BantyChickMom]

I had a Partridge Rock chick once that acted really weird.
She would fall over sideways or on her back and kick like crazy and squawk, seemed to be off balance all the time.
If she scratched her head, she would fall over, and when laying down, she would lay sideways.
Didn't eat very well either. I took her out about 4 times a day for about a week and fed her moist chick starter.
She started eating and drinking pretty good after a week, but it took a little longer before she grew out of the other things.
Still don't know what was wrong with her, but the kicking was almost like she was having seizures.
Gave her to a friend at 3 months old, and she did fine until a predator got her.
Hope yours grows out of it too.

 

[GoodEgg]

I was going to reply; I'm not sure if your situation is the same as mine, but I had a chick that acted funny, flopping over and having what almost looked like seizures. The thread is here: baby chick

Mine outgrew it as well. I never did figure out what was going on, and since I didn't band her I am not even sure now which one it was anymore, but everyone acts fine and I can't see any lasting effects.

I hope yours turns out fine as well!

trish

 

[sam]

Hi, I volunteer at a wildlife center and we sometimes get in birds with West Nile virus who act a lot like the chick you have. The center gives them food and water and waits it out, some live and get over it, some die. I also once had a chick who didn't know how to eat and acted like your chick did with the falling, but I think that was due to the not eating. I started force feeding him grasshoppers and kept him alive until another chick taught him how to eat (thank the lord, I was getting pretty tired of catching grasshoppers all day and shoving them down his throat). Good luck!

 

[dlhunicorn]

give that chick three drops of POLYVISOL in the beak for a week and also vit E (use human tab)... if a deficiency problem this will usually take care of it...if it is omphalitis (womtimes called "crazy chick"disease) which gives these same symptoms it is due to a navel sack infection and they usually will not survive... I think it would be a good idea to separate as the others will bully it and often prevent from feed and drink...ensure it is drinking sufficiently by dribbling water along its beak if you see it is unable to do so itself.

 

[Pine Grove]

I disagree respectfully, Omphalits is called "Mushy Chick disease"...Encephalomalacia is commonaly called "Crazy Chick Disease"
There is no neurological symptoms associated with mushy chick diease

 

[dlhunicorn]

When she drinks she pecks at the water right at her feet and kinda tilts her head to the side in a weird way.

I was responding to the probable dehydration (your reference to neurological symptoms)....

You are correct about the common term being mushy chick (really should not post so early in the morning )

most birds with omphalitis also are dehydrated and several report such symptoms but you are correct that it would be due to dehydration and not omphalitis per se.
Many chicks that have yolksacs still partially unabsorbed often have vit A deficiency (which will also give neurological symptoms ) and that is why I felt the POLYVISOL might help:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/206922.htm
...Gross signs in chicks include anorexia, growth retardation, drowsiness, weakness, incoordination, emaciation, and ruffled feathers. If the deficiency is severe, the chicks may exhibit an ataxia similar to that noted with a vitamin E deficiency (see below)."​