5 week old chick flew off hand & hurt its leg - help please

[newbiechickenmamma11]

Hi, I have a 5 week old araucana chick who is very small for its age. About 4 days ago I was holding it less than a foot above the brooder and it flew off my hand, hit the brooder plate and landed on its side and hurt its leg.

I know it hurt its leg because it didn't get up - I put it back on its feet and it fell down. I was so worried I thought it was going to die. I held it a bit and cuddled it and maybe after 5 minutes, it started hobbling and then walking again, but I've noticed that the hurt leg (the right side, I believe), was turned outwards when it walked. It also hobbled and walked differently to my other chicks.

I've tried 3 options:
1) Without a brace, it walks alright - bit hobbly, but its feet are really outward and spread apart
2) I put a rubber band brace to help, however the brace I made is quite wide (and only makes its stance a little narrower than if it wasn't wearing one). It can walk okay in this brace, but not sure if it's really doing much as it's still quite wide?
3) I tried to make the brace narrower so both feet are more straight, however this means the chick can't stand up straight, can only take small steps so it can't walk properly and just falls over.

Because the injured chick is also much smaller than my other chicks of the same age, I also noticed it was causing it to be trampled on in the brooder. So I decided to take the chick and another small friend out and put them in a separate brooder for now.

I've attached 2 pictures of the chicks stance without a brace, as well as with a brace. My questions are:
1) Does it need a brace to heal? And if so, is the current brace narrow enough?
2) What else can I do to help?

Thanks so much, I super super appreciate your help <3

 

[Eggcessive]

I would just watch the chick, and maybe start some chick vitamins with riboflavin or give 1/4 tablet of B complex with riboflavin. Nutritional yeast also has some. It may have just suffered an injury to a tendon. When treating splay legs to bring them closer together, a strip of vet wrap or a bandaid cut lengthwise can bring the legs closer about 1.5 inches apart.

 

[newbiechickenmamma11]

I would just watch the chick, and maybe start some chick vitamins with riboflavin or give 1/4 tablet of B complex with riboflavin. Nutritional yeast also has some. It may have just suffered an injury to a tendon. When treating splay legs to bring them closer together, a strip of vet wrap or a bandaid cut lengthwise can bring the legs closer about 1.5 inches apart.

Hi thank you! I am currently giving it Avi-vital in its water which contains riboflavin so good to hear that may help.

I will try the bandaid / vet wrap instead. I do have a question though. The chick is really small. It's 5 weeks old but barely bigger than when it hatched. Right now the rubber band is around 1.5 inches apart, which brings the legs in a tiny bit (as per the photos), but they're still turned outwards. Is that enough?

If I make it narrower, it brings the legs closer like the other uninjured chicks, but it means it can't take a wide step, and it falls over and gives up walking. What should I do?