Riboflavin Deficiency in Chicks

[AllCoop'dUp]

I picked up 6 chicks today and 2 of them could not stand on their toes. Just hobbling around on their hocks. Luckily the breeder is only a few miles away and I returned them and got 2 other chicks. From what I have researched they seemed to have a Riboflavin Deficiency. If the chicks I received have this deficiency, just not has severe, will this have long term effects. I have vitamins to give, but will that be enough?

 

[MotherJean]

Here's what the Merck Vet Manual says:

"Chicks receiving diets only partially deficient in riboflavin may recover spontaneously, indicating that the requirement rapidly decreases with age. A 100-µg dose should be sufficient for treatment of riboflavin-deficient chicks, followed by incorporation of an adequate level in the diet. However, when the curled-toe deformity is longstanding, irreparable damage has occurred in the sciatic nerve, and the administration of riboflavin is no longer curative."

It seems, then, that permanent nerve damage is a possibility.