New hatchie has Encephalomalacia... odds of survival?

[thatbeechick]

Hi all,

I had an emergency 3 days late hatch yesterday with this little one, she was unable to get out of the egg on her own despite fully absorbed yolk and receded membrane veins, I had to lift her out, clean her up, provide vitamins and electrolytes and warm her up (She was VERY cold) for a solid 3 hours. She's pipped internally but not externally and was malpositioned, I saved her by chance as I did my post-incubation egg autopsy.

She was fine after lots of TLC initially, went into the brooder with her siblings and could eat, drink, walk around. Looked like a normal, healthy chick.

Today she's not so great, head tucked under her feet with a slight head twitch, I'm hand-feeding and adding Vitamin E along with more multivitamins and electrolytes in a chick mash.

She's 1 day old. What sort of odds am I looking at for her survival? I'm pretty certain it's Crazy Chick Disease (Encephalomalacia) that she has, her movements match every video of it I've looked at and she's not stargazing at all. I am mostly working from home so I can assist pretty well for the next week.

Percentage chance she'll make it? Similar experiences? Help?

 

[Eggcessive]

Wry neck is best treated with a source of thiamine (vitamin B1) and usually 400 IU of vitamin E, although that might be a little too much E for a brand new baby chick. Selenium is helpful with the utiliztion of E, and only a tiny amount is needed. A small amount of egg yolk has plenty. An alternative would be to use 1 ml daily of either Poultry Cell or NutriDrench vitamins, and a little extra E. Wry neck is very frustrating, and can clear us quickly or may take days or weeks. It may not get better in some cases. Helping the chick get enough to eat and drink with be the biggest challenge. Offer chick crumbles, even grinding some, and offer a wet mash of feed and a little egg yolk. The wet feed will supply water.

 

[thatbeechick]

Wry neck is best treated with a source of thiamine (vitamin B1) and usually 400 IU of vitamin E, although that might be a little too much E for a brand new baby chick. Selenium is helpful with the utiliztion of E, and only a tiny amount is needed. A small amount of egg yolk has plenty. An alternative would be to use 1 ml daily of either Poultry Cell or NutriDrench vitamins, and a little extra E. Wry neck is very frustrating, and can clear us quickly or may take days or weeks. It may not get better in some cases. Helping the chick get enough to eat and drink with be the biggest challenge. Offer chick crumbles, even grinding some, and offer a wet mash of feed and a little egg yolk. The wet feed will supply water.

Thankyou I'm already doing all of that. She's on my lap on top of some polarfleece scrap (I wash and rotate them for my chicks) with a heated blanket under that. I have a curved nose fine pair of feeding tweezers and am feeding a warm mash made of chick starter, boiled quail egg (for the selenium), Vitamin E oil from a 400 IU capsule, nutritional yeast and a little vegemite for B vitamins and because the chicks consistently really find it tasty and want to eat it, then a little avi vital and spark added to boost any other deficiences and help with energy. I've got some fluids and a pipette here too, so she is getting plenty to drink when she wants it. She will pick up after a feed and then crash again, but I'm holding out hope. She goes from needing assistance feeding, to holding her head up a little higher and feeding on her own. Have you experienced this before?

 

[Eggcessive]

I have not experienced it. But I read many threads a day and have learned quite a bit. There are success stories, and I think that you are doing everything possible to help her. How are her legs and toes looking? Some chicks will also have problems with crooked toes, splayed leg, or other leg deformities. You should see improvement within days, I would think, at least I hope so.

 

[thatbeechick]

I have not experienced it. But I read many threads a day and have learned quite a bit. There are success stories, and I think that you are doing everything possible to help her. How are her legs and toes looking? Some chicks will also have problems with crooked toes, splayed leg, or other leg deformities. You should see improvement within days, I would think, at least I hope so.

No foot or leg deformities so far, hopefully never! I have had to treat splays and toe curls on Japanese quail before, so at least if it does happen it'll be on a larger scale than I'm used to. She's asleep with a full crop of supplemented mash, hopefully she'll have a better time tomorrow!

 

[Kiki]

How is this chick today?

 

[thatbeechick]

Update: Finally growing! No complications! Thanks everyone Nearly 3 weeks old.

 

[Eggcessive]

That is great news. Thank you for the update.

 

[thatbeechick]

That is great news. Thank you for the update.

No worries, thanks for the support everyone.

 

[glassdragonfly]