# please help :(!!!



## maryshens (Nov 25, 2014)

my two week old bantam chick just started walking on the backs of her knees today and her toes may be curling i think ((( is this a vitamin deficiency? vitamin B2??? please help me save her! she is eatting medicated chick starter grower.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Can you do a pic?

It could be a deficiency or it could be something more serious. I'll do some digging see if I can find any information.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I'm still digging but if you start this, it won't cause peep any harm.

Exerpt from Nutritional Diseases of Poultry:

"Curled-toe paralysis and other manifestations of a deficiency of vitamin B complex
In the general diagnosis laboratory, as distinct from the specialist nutritional
laboratory, it is not always possible to determine which factor in this complex group is
responsible for the symptoms observed, but from the purely practical standpoint of
control and prevention this is unimportant.
Symptoms may be indefinite and include retarded growth, leg weakness and emaciation,
but frequently chicks received for examination show the typical curled-toe
paralysis characteristic of riboflavin deficiency. Affected birds sit on their hocks with
the toes turned in, and when made to move walk on their hocks, using the wings as
supports. In extreme cases birds are unable to move and lie in a sprawling position. In
adult birds there is a decrease in egg production, with high embryonic mortality.
Mected embryos are oedematous and have defective down as a result of failure of the
feathers to rupture the sheaths. In the turkey crusty sores appear at the comers of the
mouth and on the eyelids, accompanied in some cases by dermatitis of the feet"

I would give her 3.5 mg/kg riboflavin for the first 5 days, reducing to between 2.5-3 mg/kg for another week at least. Keep her on a regular poultry vitamin with a "growth" formula for riboflavin after that and hopefully she comes around.

Found a second paper that points at Riboflavin deficiency being the problem.


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## maryshens (Nov 25, 2014)

thank you so much for the help!!! I have put a dissolved b complex pill into the water and my mom is getting poly vi sol without iron right now. I will give two drops when she gets home and then two drops, three times a day. does that sound right?


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## maryshens (Nov 25, 2014)

sorry about the red light, she can get up and walk if i scare or force her to, but other wise she cant walk right.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You might see more rapid improvement if peep was getting just the riboflavin. Its kind of hard to give the higher dose without over dosing on the other vitamins with polyvisol. I've never looked to see if its possible to purchase the riboflavin by itself.

And as an aside, B Complex can cause diarrhea in humans and it just might do the same to the peep. Keep an eye out for that.

Make sure its getting enough water and food. From what I saw, those with the deficiency were able to get around when they felt a need.


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## maryshens (Nov 25, 2014)

I dont know where I can get just riboflavin, but this morning she doesn't seem any better. she still isn't walking but she can get around as she needs to. Do you know how long it can take to see improvement or recover


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Not really. I would expect it to be days before you see a lot. Since you can't hit it with the higher dose of ribo it may take extra time.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Look for B2 in the pharmacy aisle. They should have that available. You can give extra safely since it is excreted from the body and not stored in the fat like most of the other vitamins are.


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## maryshens (Nov 25, 2014)

ok thank you! I will keep you updated


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## maryshens (Nov 25, 2014)

she seems to be getting slightly worse  she no longer can stand even if i try to force her and is now having more trouble breathing


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

The peep might have something else going on. Did you get the B2?


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## maryshens (Nov 25, 2014)

no i didnt get the B2 but it has be almost a week now and she is still alive, eatting drinking and pooping. she went down hill to where she could only lay with her legs behind her and then today i saw some improvements. she is moving around a lot now, not well but better than a day ago.


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## maryshens (Nov 25, 2014)

good news  she is doing better everyday and looks like she will recover


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Then it was more than likely a B2 deficiency. It just took longer to build back up without being able to dose heavily for the B2. 

I would not remove the vitamins just yet though. There was a reason for it, it might be genetic or the others may have been bullying away from the food.


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## maryshens (Nov 25, 2014)

how should i go about ending the vitamins? she is walking and acting completely normal now, and I am still giving her the b complex in the water and the poly bi sol three times a day.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Drop off the polyvisol. Continue the B for another week. Then try taking her off it, watch to see if she begins to slide and restart the B. Its hard to know how long one like her needs the supplements, all we can do is watch to see what happens.


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