problem with Jersey chick

[2hot2chicken]

So I bought some Jersey chicks from a breeder on the east coast. She shipped me 3 chicks that are were between 2-4 weeks old. They are now 4-6 weeks old and the oldest/biggest 2 are doing great. The youngest 1 is quite a bit smaller and weaker than the others and hasn't feathered in as much as the others were at this age. It also got out of the pen a little over a week ago and got 1 of its feet stuck in one of the sticky mouse trap trays...... I got it out fine and washed the foot well with dawn and warm water for a while and it hasn't seemed to have any problems until 2 days ago. I noticed it was holding 1 of its wings funny. today it seems worse and it fell down on its side and acted like it was unable to get up flopping around like a fish out of water. Once it finally did get up its walking fine but it just seems like its so weak.... I have it in a little grow out coop outside with the other jerseys and 3 different ages of silkies. They are all getting along just fine and I am running a heat lamp in the coop to warm it up at night then shut it off when I got to bed. There is about 20 chicks in this little coop right now and they all sleep by the door together so I figured they are warm enough......

Anybody else experience this? I was worried Mareks but I vaccinated for it and don't have any others with any symptoms and it can walk and move its wing so its not really paralized like with Mareks......

I am stumped but don't know what to do. It eats well and I feed a wide variety of food including chick crumbles, organic starter/grower combo, other assorted seeds and lots of healthy treats like boiled eggs. I also let them free range for a couple hours a day most days..... weather permiting.

 

[chickenzoo]

I personally would treat it for coccidiosis with some Corid. You can find it at tractor supply. I like he liquid but ours now only carry the powder. Even with medicated feed and seeing no bloody poo it could still have it.

 

[2hot2chicken]

I actually already did treat them for 10 days with corrid in their water when I first got them. I forgot to post that...... I lost a couple silkie chicks I bought a while back for unknown reasons (they would just get really weak all of the sudden and by the end of the day be dead). So I started treating all young birds that I buy with corrid for 10 days just as a precausion because I have to keep my quarantined birds in pretty close proximity to my babies. It is on some medicated feed now. I mixed the medicated crumbles I had left with some organic chick food I just bought.

It seems to be fine today and it is holding its wing better also. Its just weird how it has some patchy bald areas where feathers are not growing in and has trouble righting itself from its side...... Maybe its legs are just to long for its little body? These are my first Jersey Giant chicks so I'm not very familiar with their growth pattern I am just comparing it to the other 2 I got with it. I do think this is a cockeral though also. Its little comb is already bigger than the older 2's combs and its 1 week and 2 weeks younger than them.....

I'm hoping someone with Jerseys may have seen this before?

 

[HorseCrazyy]

Are the other chicks not letting it eat or drink? Maybe they are neglecting it and it cant get to food or water....?

 

[chickenzoo]

I have Jerseys but have not noticed anything like that. They grow in spirts and i have had older chicks seem to have weaker legs for awhile and sat more often.they did grow out of it.

 

[2hot2chicken]

Well it eats and drinks just fine. I have a really long feeder and I also spread some food around in their pen as scratch for them to peck at as well as free range them. It doesn't seem to be picked on at all and is nearly as large or at leased as tall as most of the silkies except the oldest couple pullets and they are very mothery to the younger couple even letting them sleep under them. The 3 jerseys and 2 of the smaller silkies seem to have formed a bond and are always together. The only thing I can think of is something was probably wrong with it from hatch and its just getting more developmentally apparent as it grows? I have been pretty busy so I haven't been able to watch it for to long but it seems to be thriving? I have seen it out free ranging and have held it a couple times. Its wing seems to be better and its walking just fine but I don't think I have seen it run lately. Watching it now it reminds me of a stork when it walks. These great long spindly legs with a body at the top, it just looks awkward and funny....... I definatly don't think its an illness now though the more I watch it..... Its just weak I guess?