Help needed!

[Lemon12]

Hello! Ive recently hatched 5 chicks, a mix of legbars and marans, they are all perfectly healthy, except the last one was late to hatch, and this little legbar was very weak once hatched. She seems perfectly fine now it's been abour 6 hours, she is eating and drinking without problem but every 10 minutes or so me and my partner will hear loud cheeping from the brooder, and discover that she is on her back unable to get up. We watched her for a while and every now and then she will bend her neck backward, writhing her head for about 10 seconds before tumbling onto her back. I have owned chickens for a few years now and I presumed I knew what wry neck looks like, and to me this didn't seem like usual wry neck - my previous chickens necks would be constantly writhing, I've never had a chicken with wry neck one second, then who is perfectly fine the next. Please give advice if you know what's going on, we don't wanna loose our little baby, we have grown very fond of her throughout the past 6 hours. My partner has read about sugar water, or pumpkin seeds in order to boost her vitamin e, but I thought I'd come here to see what's correct. Thank you xx

 

[azygous]

Chances are very good that it is wry neck. Wry neck can manifest in many different ways. Get the chick started on vitamin E oil served with egg for better absorption. For good measure, to boost the chick's energy reserves, put a teaspoon of sugar into one cup of water and let it drink that for a couple of days. If the chick is weak, sugar is the best cure. If you have Poultry vitamins, Poultry Nurti-drench is what I recommend, use them in the water with the sugar.

 

[Lemon12]

Thank you so much- I'll give it some poultry vitamins. Do you have any suggestions on what to do with her overnight? Every so often she will flip onto her back and is unable to get up, and I'd hate for her to flip while I'm asleep and then stay like that overnight x

Chances are very good that it is wry neck. Wry neck can manifest in many different ways. Get the chick started on vitamin E oil served with egg for better absorption. For good measure, to boost the chick's energy reserves, put a teaspoon of sugar into one cup of water and let it drink that for a couple of days. If the chick is weak, sugar is the best cure. If you have Poultry vitamins, Poultry Nurti-drench is what I recommend, use them in the water with the

 

[azygous]

Is leaving her in the incubator overnight an option? It would have the right amount of heat and safety regardless of what position she ends up in overnight. I'd hesitate putting her with other chicks until she can remain upright, or you would risk her being trampled or smothered.