Pullet with Balance Issues

[WTDavis]

Hey All,

I have a 4 week old Blue Maran pullet who started looking a bit wobbly yesterday. She was doing fine up until then -- she was eating, drinking, stool is pretty solid, and the temperature is about 75 degF in the brooder. Yesterday morning I noticed she was having trouble walking or standing upright for extended periods of time. I decided to isolate her from the flock so they wouldn't pick on her. She's even worse today..hasn't moved much and can hardly stand, but still eating and drinking a little. Must not be much because she's lost 0.2 ounces in the past two days while the other birds have gained a 0.28 oz on average during that time.

When she stands, it seems that she's balancing on her heels until she falls backwards. She also sits with her feet extended pretty far in front of her. No signs of any broken bones and no chance of predator attack since the brooder is inside. Any ideas of what might be causing this? These are my first set of lady birds and other than reading books, I have about 10 days of hands on experience.

Thanks so much,
Warren

 

[featheredroots]

It may be a vitamin deficiency. I've lost 4 chicks in five days, and their symptoms were similar to what your describing.

I don't really know how to post links, but if you check the threads " Three week old chick with splayed leg" and "What's wrong with my baby chick? Symptoms and their association with nutritional deficiency" there's a bunch of information that may be helpful.

Hope she gets better soon!

 

[WTDavis]

Thanks for the info! From the threads you recommended, I'm thinking you're right about the vitamin deficiency. Seems like she has a vitamin E deficiency but I can't be sure. I've recently come across Poultry Nutri Drench -- is this a good product? Otherwise, I'm not quite sure how I would go about administering vitamin E to her.

Warren