Week old chick with leg injury

[WetheringHeightsFarm]

Hi, last week we got 3 day old chicks to fulfill a bantam’s broodiness. We replaced her “yolkers” with 3 lavender orphingtons. One got an eye injury and we are nursing that and keeping a close eye on it. However, another little chick has some serious injury to her leg. This morning (chilly with rain) we found her on the outside of the nesting box, sprawled out barely alive, cold and gasping for breath. She must have been like that most of the night. Yesterday, she was just fine - or so we thought. I grabbed her cupped in both hands (mine were warmest) and brought her in, held her and blew my warm breath on her for about 30 minutes. She started breathing regularly, then chirping, then opened her eyes. So we put her in the brooder’s box to keep an eye on her. She seemed to be doing okay so I brought her back to mom. I checked an hour later and again, she was on her side, screaming and getting cold. I brought her into the brooders box. Gave her electrolyte water from an eye dropper and checked out why her leg was so weak. I thought maybe it was because of her lack of oxygen and heat overnight. I discovered that she has an open gash, under her leg thigh where her leg and breast bone is. I mean it’s open. You can see the chicks meat. I was able to put antibiotic salve inside but I’m not sure how to dress the wound or if she’ll even survive. I don’t even know how that tore. She's always the “shy” one, smallest one but she would go off the nest with her mom and walk around eating and drinking. She does eat a morsel of food and dips her beak in the water dish, but then she falls asleep. Could be the trauma from last night that she’s tired, or she could be getting sick. I need to know what I should do for her. Will she heal? I don’t want to prolong her misery but I hate to lose a little one so I’ll do what I can. I need to know how to dress the wound or do I just let nature takes it course?

 

[Eggcessive]

The wound should be cleaned with something like saline or Vetericyn wound spray, and apply plain Neosporin triple antibiotic ointment twice daily. It should heal soon without a dressing. Watch for infection or pus in the wound. It sounds like she keeps getting away from the broody where others can peck her, or the broody might have pecked her. Sometimes they will accept chicks and sometimes it doesn’t work out for some reason. When she heals a bit, and the wound cannot be seen by the others, you could try her with the other 2 chicks. But be very cautious in case the broody attacks her. Maybe supervise some visits with the broody and chicks for a little each day. Good luck.

 

[WetheringHeightsFarm]

Thank you for your help. We have put an antiseptic salve on her today. She’s alone, in the brooder box, with the temp to warm her. My husband and I were discussing IF it would heal. It’s such an open wound. No blood. Looks like it needs to be stitched together but I can’t do that.