Sick Baby

[nat2009]

my chickens hatched and now one is so weak she cannot stand up? What should I do? and suggestions would be nice!

 

[AccidentalFarm]

keep her warm, separate from the other chicks. make sure s/he is getting fluids. is it just hatched or day old, or what?

 

[nat2009]

Yes only one day. She was born yesterday at 12:05

 

[livestock101]

We had a group of chicks hatched Monday before last and the final chick that hatched was quite small and very weak, couldnt stand at all. After several hours in the incubator drying off, it still wouldnt/couldnt walk so I took it out and put it in the brooder, separate from the others in the brooder. Two days later, still not walking so I decided to bandage it's legs, as if I were treating it for spraddle leg. I figured the treatment would maybe add some support and help it walk. The next day (chick 3 days old), I added food and water (water treated with vitamins/electrolytes) to the brooder and kept helping it get a drink.

I really didnt think it was going to make it and I told my husband he would have to put it down tomorrow because I didnt want it to die from dehydration or from not eating. The next morning, the chick was hobbling around, not very good but enough to get a drink by itself. I kept the hobbles on it's legs for one more day (chick 5 days old) before I took them off. A that point the legs were still somewhat weak but was walking fairly well, good enough to be added back with the others. The chick is now 8 days old and only half the size of the other chicks but getting around GREAT!

 

[nat2009]

Can you explain what you mean when you "bandaged" legs. I don't know what a spraddle leg is and do not know how to treat. Where do you get vitamins etc. from?

 

[gavbarker]

Iv had three of my guena fowl chicks the same and all three have dies to dided them selfs and tonight the last one was really bad so i had to end its missery i feel so bad iv felt sick all night but im sure it wouldnt have made it non of the others did.

 

[hencackle]

Here is a good link for spraddle legs and using bandages to stabilize the legs.
http://www.poultryhelp.com/spraddle.html

Stephanie

 

[dangerouschicken]

gavbarker,

You did what you had to do. I'm sorry about the chicks.

 

[livestock101]

nat2009, you can get vitamins at any feed store. What I have is Vitamins & Electrolytes Soluble For Poultry made by FORT DODGE. It's an 8 oz bag.

As far as the bandaging, hencackle gave you the site address that describes how to do it. Keep in mind that my chick did NOT have legs that look like the chick on the bandage site. My chick just had weak looking legs.