Weird chick hatched today. I might need help?

Cheyen

Songster
6 Years
Sep 21, 2013
1,473
34
133
Richmond, VA
Early this morning (around 5am) I had a chick hatch. He was acting pretty normal, I guess, although he was a bit louder than other chicks I've hatched. So far, he's just been laying on his side crying. He can't seem to get up on his own. He has a lot of strength, as I see him wiggling around A LOT. When I flip him over, he just moves back to the same position! I don't know why, but he also seems to have little bald patches on him? He still has not fluffed up all the way, but I can tell there's not a lot of down where it should be. He looks like a fighter, and he does well when I hold him in a different position, so I don't want to give up on him just yet. Any ideas?
 
Several of my ducklings have hatched like that. I still don't know exactly what they had, but I thought they would surely die because they were just wriggling on their side's. The next day they looked extremely better so maybe tomorrow he'll be better. They were weak for a few days after and had trouble walking, but it was corrected on it's own. Just make sure that he is warm and has access to water and food. If you have other chicks they might trample on him, so you might want too desperate him for a little while. Also, does he feel 'limp'? And saggy?
 
Well, he's doing much better today. I held him in an upright position for about two hours, and he managed to not wiggle onto his side. He's still having trouble standing and walking, though. Right now he just sort of shuffles on his hocks. He did hatch late, so I think maybe he just needs to get his sea legs, lol.
 
That's great!
I'm glad he's better!
It might help if you message his legs, neck, and sides too.
 
I'm not sure if this is cause for concern, but he also has a dewlap? Honestly, this chick is the biggest hot fried mess I've ever hatched. He's got a flabby patch of skin under his neck, almost like a toulouse goose, and I have never seen that before in a chicken.

I have been rubbing his neck and thighs. He really seems to like it, lol. He's finally able to stand up but he doesn't like walking very much. Right now all he wants to do is cry.
 
Oh, and I thought I should mention he does not have spradle legs or curled toes. That's the first thing I ruled out when he couldn't stand up. I'll post a video of him so you can get a better look.
 
Here are some videos.

The first one is a few hours after hatching. When I left and came back home about 6 hours later he was still in that same position. He also stayed in that position overnight.
You can sort of see his "dewlap" before it gets covered in fluff when he dries. Should I be worried about that?
vimeo_logo.png


The second one is yesterday when he was finally done drying and after I had held him long enough so that he wouldn't fall over again. You can see how he scoots around one his hocks. I realize this form of mobility is normal for chicks, but not chicks that are two days old. They should be up and walking by then. I'll try and take some more pics/vids later if he doesn't show improvement.
vimeo_logo.png


He's a bit lumpy around the head and he has two bald patches on his belly. My mom and I have started calling him Quasimodo.
 
Yes! That,s exactly how my duckling moved around! He was so weak I thought he would die. I believe your chick will be able to move fully around on his own and will get stronger. I'm not sure about the dewlap and the lumpy parts on his body...and how it will affect his health.
The only difference was that my duckling was very saggy and his head hung down until he was a few weeks old.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom