URGENT: Hatched chick that can’t walk

[Sleep_Deprived]

I hatched out my first batch of turkey poults, and I’m very concerned for the first hatched. She can’t walk right or control her legs, and I’m not sure how to help. She’s about 24 hours old now, which I know is young, but I’ve hatched dozens of other chickens and peacocks and never had a chick do this. How can I help her?

 

[R2elk]

I hatched out my first batch of turkey poults, and I’m very concerned for the first hatched. She can’t walk right or control her legs, and I’m not sure how to help. She’s about 24 hours old now, which I know is young, but I’ve hatched dozens of other chickens and peacocks and never had a chick do this. How can I help her?

Put it in a cup or similar container with paper towel in the bottom and put it back in the incubator/hatcher. It would have been better if you tried to help it much sooner.

Check how it is doing after 24 hours.

Baby turkeys are poults.

 

[Sleep_Deprived]

Put it in a cup or similar container with paper towel in the bottom and put it back in the incubator/hatcher. It would have been better if you tried to help it much sooner.

Check how it is doing after 24 hours.

Baby turkeys are poults.

She is a poult? Thank you for responding! Didn’t take her out cuz there’s other babies hatching, didn’t want to shrink wrap them. So I just get any cup and put paper towel in the bottom and leave her? What about after that?

 

[SnackMeat]

Look up hobble for splay leg and cup therapy for chicks. Should work the same for a turkey.

 

[R2elk]

She is a poult? Thank you for responding! Didn’t take her out cuz there’s other babies hatching, didn’t want to shrink wrap them. So I just get any cup and put paper towel in the bottom and leave her? What about after that?

You need a container that is narrow enough that it can't spread its legs out from under it and tall enough it can't jump out.

There is little danger of shrink wrapping because of briefly opening the hatcher. Yes you can drop the humidity too much if you leave it open but quickly opening and closing is not as harmful as many people think.

If the problem is not serious, it should be alright in 24 to 48 hours.

This usually happens in assisted hatches but can also be due to genetics when parents are too closely related.