The smallest of my chicks doesn't seem to want to walk well anymore. :( The other chicks are doing really well outside.
I separated her and brought her inside with food and water. Is there any trick? I checked online and it said to use band-aids but that seemed to keep her feet to close together with how big she is.
Anybody have any suggestions??
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There is a mother hen. They are kept cool by having a lot of shade under a bush, lots of water to drink and a trickle of water from the hose to step in when it's hot. All the other chicks are thriving.
This little buff orp has no other symptoms but not wanting to stand correctly on her legs. They're splayed out. When she walks, she doesn't seem to have balance on her little legs. She is the same age as the other chicks but the smallest, so I don't know if they were picking on her. (I've never seen it anyways) No other symptoms. She's eating and drinking.
Symptoms started this morning, I didn't notice anything yesterday at all and I check on them frequently. At night, the chicks are inside the coop on wood shavings. During the day, they run around in the backyard, which is mostly gravel. Right now I have her in a large plastic tote with paper towels and wood shavings to walk on. The mama hen keeps tapping on the sliding glass door. :)
3 week old chicks should not be living outside, especially with this summer heat, unless they have mother hens that can help them out. They don't have their full thermoregulating capabilities yet.
Are you certain it's splay leg? Can you describe her symptoms? Is there anything else that seems off other than her inablilty to walk? How old was she when she was first exhibiting symptoms? What kind of bedding was she raised on?