What to do with a chicken that doesn't walk?

[mhart5067]

I have a 3 day old chicken that is not walking. I've separated her from the rest of the chick's so they won't trample her. She's eating but not sure if she's drinking or not. I periodically dip her beak in the water dish so she gets some water. Should I be doing anything else and am I doing the right thing?

 

[mhart5067]

This is a chick not a chicken.

 

[RonC]

Are her legs splayed out to the sides? If so they should be splinted together with a bandaid or pipe cleaner. They should be approximately the with of the pad on the bandaid apart. Do it immediately! If this is not the problem I'm not sure, a pic would help. Here's a link. http://thebreed.yuku.com/topic/367/...spraddle-leg---t--chick--t-stand#.T9-H67WXS8A Give it water with a dropper if your not sure about it drinking.

 

[tadpole98]

Yes, if her legs are splayed, then i would do what ronC says pictures?

 

[mhart5067]

After looking at the pictures on the link u sent me, she is not spraddled. Her legs are tucked under her belly. I took a couple pics of her but I'm not sure how to post them.

 

[RonC]

Make sure they are on a non slippery surface. Newpaper is cheap but is also slick, don't use it to line the floor of the brooder. Might want to splint the legs anyways and give it a couple of days of special care feeding and watering. It needs water alot more frequently than food. Maybe someone else has some ideas, that was my first thought. Sometimes nature isn't so kind to baby animals as we wish. The first week is the hardest.

 

[mhart5067]

We've got her legs splinter and we're giving her a few drops of water every couple of hours. Is that enough water or should it be more frequent?

 

[RonC]

I've heard every15 minutes but not sure.I would think maybe every hour.Shouldn't need it at night while sleeping. Maybe put some close by to it but make sure it can't drown it it being crippled. Hopefully tomorrow it will be better.

 

[mhart5067]

Thanks for your response RonC. There's been no improvement on her legs so far. We continue to provide water with dropper but I haven't seen her eat lately. We'll see what tomorrow brings.