Chick's feet swollen!! HELP!!

[AidKD]

So I have a couple of chicks a little over a week old. The one chick's foot is swollen and red at the joints and the other's leg is red and swollen where it bends. They aren't doing good and I have no idea what's wrong! They can't hardly move and are extremely lethargic. I've been giving them vitamin C, electrolyte water, and soaking them in epsom salt water. Please help!!

 

[coach723]

Can you post some pictures of the feet and legs? Pictures of your brooder set up would be helpful too.
Is there anywhere they can get their feed caught on anything, wire, etc?
Where did the chicks come from, purchased or you hatched them yourself?

 

[AidKD]

Can you post some pictures of the feet and legs? Pictures of your brooder set up would be helpful too.
Is there anywhere they can get their feed caught on anything, wire, etc?
Where did the chicks come from, purchased or you hatched them yourself?

They have wood shavings for bedding, and there isn't anything they could have got injured on. I got them from the Meyer hatchery. They share one of these with about 20 others.

 

[AidKD]

Sorry, not great pictures.

 

[coach723]

That brooder is way too small for that many chicks, they need to be able to get in and out of the heat source to regulate their body temperature. And in another week they won't even be able to move in there. If they all pile up then they can crush and suffocate each other. They may be injuring each other since there is so little room. I would find a larger container to brood them in ASAP. Probably the least expensive way to do it is a hard plastic kiddie pool, with a DIY wire cover that you can secure down. They will be much happier, and will be able to spread out some. With 20 of them they may outgrow that, depending on what size you get, before they are 5 weeks. You may need more than one heat source to accomidate them all.

 

[AidKD]

That brooder is way too small for that many chicks, they need to be able to get in and out of the heat source to regulate their body temperature. And in another week they won't even be able to move in there. If they all pile up then they can crush and suffocate each other. They may be injuring each other since there is so little room. I would find a larger container to brood them in ASAP. Probably the least expensive way to do it is a hard plastic kiddie pool, with a DIY wire cover that you can secure down. They will be much happier, and will be able to spread out some. With 20 of them they may outgrow that, depending on what size you get, before they are 5 weeks. You may need more than one heat source to accomidate them all.

They are meat birds so they have been growing incredibily fast. I have them separated into 2 of those with same number in each with one heat lamp in between that they have been doing good with. I'll definitely find something bigger, as I never really thought about that. I've had no experience with meat birds like this before. Thank you! Any suggestions on how I can help them get better? We'll be butchering them at about 6 weeks.

 

[AidKD]

Can anyone else give advice on this?

 

[Canadian Wind]

Can anyone else give advice on this?

Unfortunately, with this kind of meat bird their rapid growth will often cause sore or weak legs and joints. They just grow too fast.

 

[AidKD]

Unfortunately, with this kind of meat bird their rapid growth will often cause sore or weak legs and joints. They just grow too fast.

Thank you! Do you know of anything more I can do to help save them? This is extremely helpful, thank you again!

 

[Canadian Wind]

Thank you! Do you know of anything more I can do to help save them? This is extremely helpful, thank you again!

Unfortunately not. I've never had this kind of chicken, I tend to stick to barnyard mixes. As others have said, it's probably time to split them up into smaller groups again, or give them larger brooders. And try asking on the Meat Birds forum:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/meat-birds-etc.21/

I'm sure someone there knows a heck of a lot more than me!