***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[SharkmanDan]

I think I may have an issue, with one of my chicks, that my level of inexperience is keeping me from knowing what it may be. I have a brooder with a whole lotta 1-1/2 to 2 week old chicks. Most are growing and feathering out nicely. All of them move around well, jump, play, are trying their wings at flying, and generally doing what I expect of chicks their age. But, one chick, seems a bit different. I don't know if it is going to be a big problem down the road, or if it may be something I can treat, in some way, now (within economic reason).
This particular chick is considerably smaller, than the others, and it has a crooked neck. It's head is always cocked to the right. I picked it up, and moved the head around, and it does not seem to be in discomfort, from the position, and it moves well. The others don't seem to pick on it, but it does frequently hang around more, by itself, in the brooder box.
It seems strong and healthy. I brought it out, and used it as the "guinea pig" to train our dogs, to be good to the chicks. Fearlessly, it stayed on the back of one of the bigger dogs, and only jumped, after the dog started to walk away.
While I have been known to take my beagle, Max, to a Veterinary Chiropractor, I can't see myself toting a 2 week old chick, to the vet, for a crooked neck.
Any thoughts on the matter, would be appreciated.

 

[Kassaundra]

Look up info on wry neck, it is a vitamin deficiency, can be treated successfully depending on the cause (if there is a big reason the chick can't absorb vitamins that isn't helped w/ time can't be helped) but most cases I have heard of have been helped w/ food and nutrition.

 

[SharkmanDan]

I wonder if there is any possibility, that it could be from old vitamins or food? I wouldn't think this is too old, the vitamins were purchased last fall, and kept sealed, until I opened them, to give to these chicks. The feed, is also, from last fall, ADM medicated chick starter crumbles.
I'll look into the condition you mentioned Kassaundra, and see what I may be able to do for this one.
Thanks.

 

[Poco Pollo]

Sharkman Dan - X2 what Kassaundra said.

Kass - Here's my latest crochet project: Sock Monkey Bunting for grandson due in May. I shared this photo with a former student who exclaimed, "You killed a sock monkey!"

 

[lonnyandrinda]

I wonder if there is any possibility, that it could be from old vitamins or food? I wouldn't think this is too old, the vitamins were purchased last fall, and kept sealed, until I opened them, to give to these chicks. The feed, is also, from last fall, ADM medicated chick starter crumbles.
I'll look into the condition you mentioned Kassaundra, and see what I may be able to do for this one.
Thanks.

I would treat with vitamins as if wry neck. It won't hurt and it might help. Did you hatch these yourself? Any chance the egg didn't get turned properly during incubation? I had a batch that I turned off the turner to candle at day 10 and didn't notice it until I went to candle again a week later!!!! Two chicks hatched with severely crooked necks. One died the other lived, and I gave it to Kelly. Last I heard she was still growing, although she is stunted in growth. Maybe she'll post us an update soon. Here's what the chick looked like at about 2 weeks old (Jan 5).

 

[SharkmanDan]

Rinda,
Except for color, and direction the head is turned, that looks just like my little "Captain Crook".
I'm still not able to tell if it's a boy or girl, but seems healthy and vibrant. It is eating and drinking just fine.
As we folks in the country know, trips to town, are generally planned days in advance, and we will not be getting near a major drug store, where we can get the selenium and liquid B-Complex, until tomorrow. But I started the baby on the vitamin E Liqui-Gels, last night, since we had some around.
It is possible, that the egg wasn't positioned properly. I didn't personally incubate them, as I can't afford an incubator. But, they were eggs from my chickens, that I had gathered, for a man that said he'd take all he could get, the last weekend (Thur-Mon) in January. Then on that Tuesday, when I called him, to come get them. He expected me to deliver them for free, 30 miles away. After all the extra care given to mark each egg, with breed, time and day laid, and turning them, and offering them at my "eating eggs" price of $2 a dozen, he expected me to drive to Sallisaw, and deliver them, at no cost, to him.
So, I opted to take them to my neighbor who breeds and sells. When they hatched, he kept 8 EE chicks, and I got 44, mixed breeds. 4 eggs never hatched. Some were EE's, some Australorps, a couple of RIR's, and the rest were barnyard mix, mutts. I figured that was a heck of a deal. And, a pretty good hatch rate.
It was after that, that I heard that there is a specific way the egg should be positioned in the crate, before incubating. I didn't know, and likely, had some of them, on the wrong end, prior to incubation. But, the fellow who incubated them, is kind of my go-to Q&A guy, and I'm pretty certain he'd know to place them right, into the incubator. But, one never knows, unless they do the job themselves.

 

[Kassaundra]

I wonder if there is any possibility, that it could be from old vitamins or food? I wouldn't think this is too old, the vitamins were purchased last fall, and kept sealed, until I opened them, to give to these chicks. The feed, is also, from last fall, ADM medicated chick starter crumbles.
I'll look into the condition you mentioned Kassaundra, and see what I may be able to do for this one.
Thanks.

This is my thinking on it, since it is just one chick and all the others are thriving it isn't the food source, it is the chick itself. The chick is currently having an issue w/ absorption of vitamins and nutrition. This is either from a reversible cause, that if you give supportive care now and get it "over the hump" it will then grow up fine and healthy, or a nonreversible cause, in which case you will have a chronically under performing chicken that will likely die young and will be a "special needs" bird.

 

[Kassaundra]

Sharkman Dan - X2 what Kassaundra said.

Kass - Here's my latest crochet project: Sock Monkey Bunting for grandson due in May. I shared this photo with a former student who exclaimed, "You killed a sock monkey!"

That is absolutely tooooo adorable! You did an awesome job, and it will make a great pic when the grandbaby is wearing it.

 

[NanaKat]

Did way too much today and am now paying for it...sitting in a recliner with heating pad at my back a neck roll, warm blanket, Hydrocodone, and the Thunder game is on. Roger is channel surfing

Fed little Joe and then the chickens feed and water, cleaned the two brooders in the house, started three a day cow checks since calving season has started, candled three sets of eggs, set 27, checked on the chicks currently hatching, fixed lunch, cleaned the brooder in the hot tub room....should have been cleaned last week...moved chicks from the house in to it, fed Little Joe his second bottle bucket, cleaned his pen and refilled the outside feeders. Then I showered and fixed dinner. Will feed Little Joe and move him back into the barn later. Whew!

 

[BetsyOK]

You're such a whirlwind of activity, I'm surprised you're able to realize you've done too much! Seriously, you're an inspiration to all of us!