Chick helped out of its shell, can't walk, now what?

18 years ago

Please, I need advice & input. One of my hens incubated a clutch of 7 eggs, 3 hatched one day, 2 more the next. Yesterday she left the last 2 eggs in the nest & busied herself instead with her 5 new chicks. I planned to leave those eggs for the day and bury them if they remained unhatched or unattended by nightfall.

But late in the afternoon we found one of those eggs with a small hole where the chick was beginning to peck itself out and over a dozen fire ants running in & out of the hole! And the chick was alive & cheeping! I didn't know what to do but I couldn't leave that chick to be eaten alive by the ants.

So I gently but quickly removed all the shell & membrane and blew away all the ants. I put the chick all wet & curled up on paper towels in a box under a desk lamp. By bedtime she was drying off & sitting up. This morning she is all dry & fluffy, acting rather perky, but seems to have some weakness in her legs & feet so that she cannot stand or walk.

I wonder if the long labor of extracting itself out of the shell somehow triggers proper motor development for a baby chick. So here I am, giving physical therapy to this hatchling, gently straightening those delicate little toes & making her push against my finger with her legs.

I'm thinking that if she cannot stand then she cannot poop, and if she cannot poop then she should not eat or drink. The plan is to keep her feeling comfortable & loved for as long of a time as she has.

What more should I do? What should I do if ever this situation happens again? Please advise, I appreciate any input!

Thank you thank you thank you,

Carol in Florida

Where Fire Ants reign & other folks watch their steps

Comments (6)

mtmarty
18 years ago
Once I bought several chicks(25) one of which couldn't walk. Since it couldn't compete at the feeder I brought it inside and kept it in a box by itself. I fed it a mix of chick starter, powdered milk (for the calcium), millet, and brewer's yeast (just a touch). The millet was added because chickens really like it, and the b vitamins in the yeast kick start the appetite. You have to take it easy with the yeast, because too much can be toxic. A pinch, maybe an 1/8 teaspoon is plenty, just sprinkled on top. I think what happened with my chick is that the others were just more developed, and this one needed more time. I did have to clean his butt a few times until he got stronger. He was always a little smaller than the others, but I did put him back in the coop after about two weeks, and he did fine. In fact, when I put him in the coop with the other chicks, they were all scared of him. He had first dibs on everything until they got used to him.
fancifowl
18 years ago
There can be several reasons for imperfect hatches, usually those chicks are never thrifty if they do survive. Beginners tend to try and save everything, no matter the defects, but its usually a poor idea. There are several humane methods of euthanasia mentioneed at poultry sites on the web.
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velvet_sparrow
18 years ago
I assume by your post that the egg was at the full 21 days--not hatching early? Also, what breed is it? Some are more prone to leg problems than others...

My chicken info page is now here:
http://home.earthlink.net/~velvetsparrow/VSChick.htm

I have a link there to the United Peafowl Association's site, they have a chick shoe model to help chicks with Spraddle Leg. If you do this right away and leave it on, you can great great results. It's certainly worth a try since you have invested time in the chick already. If your chick has two problems--Spraddle Leg AND inability to stand, you've got an uphill climb ahead of you.

Meanwhile, give the chick flooring with loads of traction--I'd suggest hardware cloth wire or something of that nature. Even shavings, if placed on a non-slick surface, work. No newspaper or slick paper towels--get the rough ones.

If you DO have to euthanize the chick, you can use the starter fluid method if you can't bring yourself to break it's neck. How to's are here:

http://www.purplemartin.org/forumarchives/archive/Humane.htm

and here:

http://www.longshadowfarms.com/FAQ.html

Euthanasia isn't a pleasant thing to have to think about, but when you need the informaiton it's important to have it right away.

Good luck to you!

Velvet ~:>
ruthieg__tx
18 years ago
I will tell you though that the same thing happened to one of my chicks except that he was mostly out of the shell but just worn out...He finally got up and limped around and a week or so later he was keeping up with the rest though gimpy and a week later you couldn't tell him from the rest...Be patient...
velvet_sparrow
18 years ago
How's the chick...?
Maid_in_the_Shade
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks for asking about the chick, I couldn't get back to the 'puter for a few days. Amazingly, she is FINE!!! Standing & walking & doing everything else perfectly well! We are surprised because she was such a frail, wet little booger when 1st peeled out, and the circumstances were so atypical that we had many doubts as to her ability to survive. Then when she was so lame the following day I was really doubtful. But I'm grateful to those who urged patience, each day she improved.

Now we're just praying that "she" really is one, after all this trouble I don't want her turning into some nasty old rooster who will one day spur me with those once-frail legs.