How your bird acts is usually a good indicator of how the bird is feeling and how healthy the bird is. So, if the bird starts to act out of character, if the baby bird starts stumbling, you’d understandably be worried.
This article looks into why your baby chick may be stumbling
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Baby chick stumbling:
The occasional stumble here and there shouldn’t worry you too much but if your baby chick seems to be constantly stumbling then you’d understandably be worried.
Here is why your baby chicken may be stumbling:
Getting used to its legs:
Most chicks will start walking very soon after they hatch, but the birds still need to develop strength and coordination to use their legs properly after starting to walk.
As a result, the birds may start out stumbling when walking.
What to do:
This behavior is quite normal, and the bird may simply need some time to get used to walking and build some strength in its legs, both of these will happen over time.
You can help with this by making sure that the birds are given a nutrient-rich diet. With time and the correct foods, your bird will soon develop the strength and coordination to walk properly.
Inner ear infection:
Just as with humans, chickens have ears, and just as with humans, the ears of chickens can develop infections.
If your baby chick is stumbling then the bird likely has an inner ear infection. Inner ear infections can cause these birds to develop issues with balance and this can make the bird start stumbling.
What to do:
Inner ear infections require antibiotics, these need to be prescribed by a vet.
If you think that your bird has an inner ear infection then making an appointment at your nearest vet and taking your bird to the vet will get your baby chick back to normal.
It isn’t recommended that you give your bird antibiotics without the guidance of a vet as you can give the wrong antibiotics or give antibiotics at the incorrect dosage.
Vitamin deficiency:
Your baby chick may be stumbling because it is suffering from a vitamin deficiency of some sort.
A variety of vitamin deficiencies cause a loss of balance, coordination issues, and stumbling. Thiamine deficiencies and a vitamin E deficiency for example will cause this symptom in your bird.
What to do:
Make sure that the bird is eating the correct foods and is eating enough food, if this isn’t enough you can add supplements into the bird’s diet.
Supplements like nutri-drench for poultry or chick vitamins usually help with all types of vitamin deficiencies.
Mareks disease:
Another reason why your baby chick may be falling over may be that the bird has a condition called Marek’s disease. This is a very common and contagious disease and is caused by the herpes virus.
Marek’s is common between 6 week and 6 month old birds but it can also affect older chickens.
The disease causes partial or full leg paralysis and this may be why your bird is stumbling.
Other signs of this disease in your baby chick include leg, wing, and neck paralysis, weight loss, grey iris, the inability to stand, and incoordination.
What to do:
There is, unfortunately, no treatment or cure for Marek’s disease.
Hopefully, treatments will come about in the future but for now, all you can do is try to prevent future birds from developing Marek’s by vaccinating them.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Chicken Making Weird Neck Movements, Chicken Shaking Head And Lethargic, How To Make A Baby Chick Sleep, Chicken Not Eating And Walking In Circles, Baby Chick Bleeding From Vent, Baby Chick Acting Drunk, Why Is My Baby Chick Wobbly, Quail Throat Movement, Quail Laying On Its Side