another limping chick...

Kalynta

Kalynta

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In the Fens. Lincolnshire
Advice needed please.... one of the chicks we got from the poultry auction a few weeks ago has developed a limp. It looks a little drunk and is having trouble keeping balance and keeping up with the others. We kept them separated from the rest of the hens when we bought them home, in a creche and we let them all run together last weekend. All has been fine, until now, and I am quite concerned and worried about this little chick. It is eating, drinking and pooing OK. We estimate the chicks to be about eight weeks old now and they are still with mum.
Now.... do I take it out and put it in a hospital cage away from mum and siblings indoors, or do we bring in a mate to be with it, or do we leave it with mum and see how it goes???? If we bring it in the house will it need a heat lamp????
After reading the Mareks thread, I am on worry alert!!! I have checked it's legs, feet and body and can see no obvious signs of injury....

Thanks for any help or advice, we do not have a poultry vet any where near. Nearest is approx 40 miles away.
 
Might be a leg or hip injury Kalynta. Have you checked it over for swelling or heat in the joints? Leave it with mum as it will need heat -even I need heat with this weather! Any mites or lice spotted on them?
 
chrismahon said:
Might be a leg or hip injury Kalynta. Have you checked it over for swelling or heat in the joints? Leave it with mum as it will need heat -even I need heat with this weather! Any mites or lice spotted on them?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. Have checked all limbs and body, no heat or swelling, no lice or mites to be seen either. It is now sitting down most of the time, but still eating.... at a loss TBH.... feel really sorry for it. It is getting left behind a bit now too.
 
Problem of separating it Kalynta is there is no peer pressure. So it will not move around or eat if it is feeling unwell. It is possible it is mis-developing somewhere internally. Like its heart or lungs which leave it without energy. If it is still happy leave it. It will start to get picked on without mum to keep order I'm afraid. So at that point it will be PTS. Doen't sound like an illness as such to me.
 
Thanks so much for your reply....the little chick is going downhill, albeit slowly, I will wait and see what the morning brings, if worse then I will do the decent thing thing, I owe it that, it would be one of my favourites though....I have left it in the run and will put it in the coop tonight, if it hasn't managed to get in.
Will post tomorrow.
 
The chick got through the night, and is no better, but no worse either, so leaving it be for now. I am going to give it a bit longer to give it a chance, as it seems to be a fighter. Is still eating and drinking. My thoughts are it maybe got stood on on the mass exodus from the coop in the mornings :-)19 . Note to ones self...maybe not put them all in the same coop as babies next time....

Will keep you updated. Thanks for your help and info.
 
I missed that bit in your original post Kalynta, that they were in with the big hens. I would say injury is more probable than mis-development, so you are right to leave it for now. It even happens when chickes are separated with their mum only. We had a chick had all the flesh removed from the side of its head, from behind the eye to the top of the neck. I only noticed a day later and was going to despatch her. But she seemed oblivious to her injuries so I waited. The skin grew back in days and ultimately Jasmine was a lovely hen, the only sign of injury being a slightly mis-formed ear and lobe.
 
Limping chick update.....

I put the chick in a small hospital cage in the run during the day, so it could see the others and mum could see it, I put it in the coop at night with mum and siblings. It was eating, drinking and pooing, so I really wanted to give it a chance. I went to let out the chickens last saturday, I couldn't find it to put it back in the hospital cage, went into panic, had a good luck in the coop.... and found it......outside!! It was running around with it's siblings and has made a full recovery!!! :D I am so chuffed I gave it a chance... but whats the bet it turns out to be a cockerel.... :roll:

Thanks so much for all the help and advice. Even if it is a cockerel, I am going to try and keep it, but dont tell eversuffering husband :-)01
 
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