Once healthy chick is having trouble walking, help!

KatsChickies

In the Brooder
Mar 28, 2025
9
2
14
I have a maybe 5-6 ish week old chicken and two nights ago I noticed she was walking super weird! It was obviously really hard for her and her legs were completely straightening and she was struggling to balance and the her hocks would bend in the exact wrong direction. I separated her but kept her in the brooder in the coop over night and then the next day placed her in a dog crate we have set up in our run right now because we have been integrating her and 4 other chicks we got in mid may to the rest of our flock. I have no idea what happened to her I am super worried and I’m not sure what to think. Everyone else seems healthy, when I examined her legs I don’t think it’s a slipped tendon (it didn’t look like it but I’m not a vet) she is alert and while she isn’t eating and drinking exactly like normal she is eating a little and still tries to roost on a super super low bar I have in the brooder. Yesterday I vet wrapped her legs to keep her hocks from bending backwards while she walks. I have her back in the brooder on the deck so I can keep a close eye on her, I gave her a dose of the rooster booster poultry cell tonight hoping that helps. I really don’t know what’s wrong with her all I can think is maybe she got bullied by a bigger hen and got stuck and injured? Or maybe when she jumped off the roost and she hurt herself? I have low roosts for the young ones in the coop but they insist on being up with the big girls. Please help I’m so worried! I’ll try to upload a video of her walking tell me what you think. She was the most boisterous of the 5 we brought home in may, everyone else seems totally fine so I am at a loss here is a video of how she walks please any advice is greatly appreciated
 
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One of my 5-6 week old chicks suddenly can’t walk! Three nights ago I noticed she was walking oddly, with her legs straightening all the way to the point where her hocks bend forward instead of behind her how they should. Her poops look normal, she is eating and drinking a little but not much. She was still trying to roost but now just sits/ lays on the ground. She have been isolated in the brooder for about 3 days now. Her and her sisters and the 6 year old hens we have are all on grower/ chick feed. She is getting poultry cell and tonight I tried giving her egg yolk and she ate a little. Here is a video of how she was walking last night but seems to get worse each day. I wrapped her legs to keep them from folding in the wrong direction but I took them off today. Her tendons seem ok, maybe she got chased by one of the older hens and injured? Maybe jumped off the roost and hurt herself landing? Any thing anyone can offer is appreciated I have no idea what else to do for her
 
her hocks would bend in the exact wrong direction.

Yesterday I vet wrapped her legs to keep her hocks from bending backwards
The legs bend backwards at the joint?

When you change the wrappings can you post photos?

She may have a leg bone deformity like Valgus Varus, but it's hard to know, possible she may have suffered some type of injury.

I'd get a bottle of B-Complex and give her 1/4tablet daily. Hopefully the vitamins along with stabilizing the legs will help.

Do you have a photo of the ingredient label/analysis for the feed?
 
The legs bend backwards at the joint?

When you change the wrappings can you post photos?

She may have a leg bone deformity like Valgus Varus, but it's hard to know, possible she may have suffered some type of injury.

I'd get a bottle of B-Complex and give her 1/4tablet daily. Hopefully the vitamins along with stabilizing the legs will help.

Do you have a photo of the ingredient label/analysis for the feed?
Yeah they were going from straight to bending toward her face and now she can hardly stand at all. I’ll get a photo of the feed ingredients in the morning. Her legs look fine to me but she is so weak now she doesn’t really try to stand at all. But I can get more photos in the morning
 

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