PLEASE HELP! Chicken can’t stand or walk - now she won’t stop sleeping.

[AlyssaRod]

My chick is a little over 8 weeks old and she and some others we got at the same time feathered pretty quickly so they’ve been outside in a coop for maybe 2 weeks. I went out about 3 days ago to get them fresh water and food when I noticed her laying on her side and wasn’t moving. I quickly grabbed her and realized that she couldn’t walk or even stand on her own. I looked for similar things others have experienced. Her toes were a bit curled and she would go back on her hocks trying to keep her balance with her wings. From others experiences it sounded like she had a riboflavin deficiency. We cleaned her up and brought her inside and wrapped her up in a blanket. We also bought vitamin and electrolyte stuff to put in her water. She was eating and drinking and even started crawling to get her own food and water. I thought she was getting better. Then that night (2 nights ago) my moms boyfriend was acting like a know it all and gave her a shot because he said the vitamins and electrolytes were useless. I was against it. He was very rough with her and she was freaking out because of how he was holding her. She freaked out when he gave her the shot and tried to get away so he dropped her. Then she pooped everywhere. Ever since then she’s just been sleeping. If I move her she’ll open her eyes for a second and then go right back to sleep. She’s breathing out of her mouth and lifting her head up and down as she does it. I can’t keep her awake long enough to make sure she’s getting food and water. She’s my favorite girl and I don’t want to lose her. Please help if you can.

 

[Eggcessive]

What was in the shot that was given to her? Do you think she was injured? Can you get her to drink some water or take a little food? I would restart the electrolytes and vitamins until she is drinking normally. At her age, coccidiosis could be a problem, and Mareks disease as well. Corid (amprollium) from a feed store can help treat coccidiosis. Dosage is 2 tsp of the liquid or 1.5 tsp of the powder per gallon of water for 5-7 days. No vitamins should be given at the same time as Corid. If her toes are still curled under, I would still give riboflavin or some chopped beef liver. Symptoms of coccidiosis are lethargy (sleepiness,) weakness, not eating, runny poops with mucus or sometimes blood, and statnding puffed up. Sorry about your chick, and I hope that you can help her. Welcome to BYC.

 

[AlyssaRod]

What was in the shot that was given to her? Do you think she was injured? Can you get her to drink some water or take a little food? I would restart the electrolytes and vitamins until she is drinking normally. At her age, coccidiosis could be a problem, and Mareks disease as well. Corid (amprollium) from a feed store can help treat coccidiosis. Dosage is 2 tsp of the liquid or 1.5 tsp of the powder per gallon of water for 5-7 days. No vitamins should be given at the same time as Corid. If her toes are still curled under, I would still give riboflavin or some chopped beef liver. Symptoms of coccidiosis are lethargy (sleepiness,) weakness, not eating, runny poops with mucus or sometimes blood, and statnding puffed up. Sorry about your chick, and I hope that you can help her. Welcome to BYC.

When I first brought her in I checked everything including her legs to see if there was any type of swelling or tender areas. I found nothing out of the ordinary. He didn’t tell me what he gave her. He gets very defensive. He said he gives them to his chickens if they get into fights and are really beat up and wounded. I told him she had no wounds and was starting to improve but he did it anyway. I was starting to think she was kind of traumatized from the way he handled her because as soon as he grabbed her she was terrified. She wasn’t used to being handled that way at all. I have continued with the vitamins and electrolytes in the water and I just got her to take a couple of drinks while she was sleeping by putting the tip of her beak in the water. I haven’t seen her eat since yesterday but some of her food was gone after I got home after being gone for a couple of hours. I’m just so upset because she was improving before he messed with her. Thank you for responding!

 

[AlyssaRod]

My chick is a little over 8 weeks old and she and some others we got at the same time feathered pretty quickly so they’ve been outside in a coop for maybe 2 weeks. I went out about 3 days ago to get them fresh water and food when I noticed her laying on her side and wasn’t moving. I quickly grabbed her and realized that she couldn’t walk or even stand on her own. I looked for similar things others have experienced. Her toes were a bit curled and she would go back on her hocks trying to keep her balance with her wings. From others experiences it sounded like she had a riboflavin deficiency. We cleaned her up and brought her inside and wrapped her up in a blanket. We also bought vitamin and electrolyte stuff to put in her water. She was eating and drinking and even started crawling to get her own food and water. I thought she was getting better. Then that night (2 nights ago) my moms boyfriend was acting like a know it all and gave her a shot because he said the vitamins and electrolytes were useless. I was against it. He was very rough with her and she was freaking out because of how he was holding her. She freaked out when he gave her the shot and tried to get away so he dropped her. Then she pooped everywhere. Ever since then she’s just been sleeping. If I move her she’ll open her eyes for a second and then go right back to sleep. She’s breathing out of her mouth and lifting her head up and down as she does it. I can’t keep her awake long enough to make sure she’s getting food and water. She’s my favorite girl and I don’t want to lose her. Please help if you can.

I just wanted to reply on here and say that my girl is doing a lot better. She’s awake, she’s eating and drinking, her poop is back to normal, and I even saw her stand up and take a little step to her food. Small improvements are still improvements! I’ve been giving her lots of water and adding in the vitamin and electrolyte powder, pellet feed that we usually give her and our other chickens, and also some broccoli.

 

[Eggcessive]

Very glad to hear that she is doing some better.