RIP Baby (8wk old) had to be euthanized

[msbliss]

One of my 8wk old chicks has what looks like it could be a dislocated leg this morning, poor thing it's hobbling around with the leg not looking good, off to the side.

Can't find any info in the Chicken health handbook about this in particular, the feed store told me to "just cull it".

I've called SO many clinics and can't find anybody to help my poor baby chicken.

Don't know what happened but I feel like it's my fault cause the brooder I made of plywood, the plywood started bending and there was a corner at the top of a 3ft. side that had bent away, the only thing I can think of is that maybe the chick flew up there & got it's leg stuck in that area and pulled itself free. I feel SO bad, it must have been my fault, what else could have made this happen overnight?

Who do you all use in this area? I need to find someone to help my little chick asap

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Edited to add: Gosh, I think I've called all the vets in the area. At least one was nice enough to suggest maybe it's a "slipped tendon"?? Anyone know anything about that??
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Sunday: Edited to add... The vet was wonderful with my baby on Thursday. He's very compassionate & knowledgeable on chicks & said that was one of the worst cases of twisted leg or whatever he called it (frankly I didn't hear much of what he was saying because it was not good).

He did say the chick was beautiful, and he was sad to say options were not available. Said he might adapt by walking on his foot sideways but that wouldn't be good either cause it would just make his leg go further and further out. He also did say these things just crop up generations later or something like that and I know the breeder I hatched him from is very well respected and would not sell chicks known to be born deformed. I asked if he could euthanize him humanely, he gave me as much time with the baby as I needed

and then chickie went to the rainbow bridge

He just charged me for the office visit, not even the euth. Class act, and my vet forever now.

 

[SpottedCrow]

http://ps.fass.org/cgi/reprint/77/12/1773.pdf
This shows a picture of slipped tendon in baby broilers.

Have you picked it up and examined the chick closely?
You can feel where the tendon fits into the groove and you can sorta pop it back in.

 

[Cocky]

I had a similar thing happen with one of my roos one time....I decided to take on a wait and see aproach and after a while he just got better on his on.....Hope you are as lucky

 

[msbliss]

Thanks Spotted Crow and Cocky for the suggestions. That link for broilers was SO sad - and a "broiler farm" just posted a sign a few days ago not even 1/8 mile from me. OMG, I don't know how I'm going to be able to see that place every time I drive into town. Or the trucks full of chickens that will be sent down the road.

I have my baby chick in a cat carrier w/food & water for now inside the house so I can keep a close watch. It's a beautiful French feather-legged Wheaten Marans and from what I can read now on "slipped tendon" it could be caused by vitamin deficiencies?? But I have been giving them all vitamin suplements (3x/week) and very good starter so I really kinda think it was my very stupid carpentry skills.

Where's Lone Cowboy when ya need her - she could teach me a thing or two about building stuff.

I did find a very nice vet who will look at the baby on Thursday. Seems like an emergency to me but since he's at some vet convention in Houston guess he won't come back early & thinks Thurs will be fine as long as the baby keeps eating/drinking.

 

[SpottedCrow]

I'm glad your baby's gonna be seen.

 

[msbliss]

Thanks Spotted Crow and all for the info and good vibes. Updated the bottom of my first post. I really appreciate I was able to come here and at least talk to someone, I was freaking out. Not freaking anymore, just

Thanks again,
Jennifer

 

[speckledhen]

I did have one BR cockerel who developed a slipped tendon at three weeks old and we elected to cull him since he'd be sold anyway. Never had one before or since then. It seemed painful to him and at first we thought it was broken, but then upon researching, discovered what his problem was. Hope you can fix your little one.

**edited to add: I read that among other things, it could be a vitamin deficiency, but I only feed my little ones high quality chick starter with added vitamins and none of the others have ever had this happen.

 

[scgamecock]

I have a red cockeral that has a real bad crook in his left leg and some people would have culled him but I gave him a chance.He gets around fairly good but he doesn't get too far away from the coop.I guess he feels safe in there but he tries his best to be like the other roo's in the pen and he even is able to mate.His name is crooked leg Fred cause he walks just like Fred Sanford.

He really loves to crow and he always comes up to me when I go in the coop.He's won my heart over now so I guess he will always have a place here.

 

[msbliss]

Thanks Cyn & scgamecock. The bolded update at the bottom of my first post explains that the vet who I respected very much decided the best thing to do was send him onto a better healthy life over the Rainbow Bridge. I remember reading a poem on here awhile back that somone had written about a chick leaving us too soon but darned if I can find it throught the tears. Thanks for your kind thgoughts and I'm, glad you had better luck that this little guy did. I miss him, funny how you can develop so much love for (as some of my "friends" say" "it's just a dam chicken"). Well, it wasn't, it was part of my family.

Cyn, my chicks get vits/electrolytes 3x/week and AviaCharge intermittantly, and ACV w/mother in their water too along with very high quality food. I read in the Chicklen Health Handbook that it could be a vit deficiency but unless it was from the breeding stock which I doubt, I nor the vet thinks it was the case here. I wil ask him exactly what he called it next time I go in (time for doggie spaying) because I just tuned out a lot during that visit as it becane clear the chick wasn't comig home with me.

Jennifer

 

[SpottedCrow]

I'm so sorry that he had to cross, but he did it with love...

I can't find the Chicken Bridge Poem darn it...