baby chick with leg issues

[Crystal220]

So my neighbor hatched some chicks a few days ago. She had one that wasn't even trying to finish hatching. Worried that it would die in the egg, she pulled it out. It had splayed leg, or so we thought. She brought it to me and said if I can fix it, I can have it. So I did the band-aid treatment. (this happened yesterday, and the chick was 1 day old). Today the chick doesn't seem to be doing any better. So I inspected it further and it's legs twist over to the side and it only uses one leg to push around. So it flounders a lot. The leg it doesn't use seems to be deformed at the hip joint. I can't get a picture that can show what i'm talking about, the chick is completely black. Other than the leg issue the chick seems healthy. Is there anything that I could do? Is it possible that it could learn to compensate for the deformity? Is it just a lost cause and now I need to do the unfortunate act?

 

[GitaBooks]

I'm sorry to hear that.

Unfortunately, leg problems in chicks are common, and those it hatches with usually can't be cured.

It could be genetic, caused by incubation conditions, be a dislocated hip, or any number of other issues.

You can try setting it in a "chick play pen" and see if its leg heals in the proper position.

I hope it heals up. Best of luck!

 

[HappyPeepFarms]

When she gets older she might be able to get around but in a diffrent fashion then everybody else. Also you might want to try leaving the band aid on 1 or 2 more days, it's worth a try right? I agree with GitaBooks you could try that as well the play pen idea I mean.

Hope she/he gets better!

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

I am very sorry to hear that this chick has a leg problem. I have been raising chickens since March of 2011, and I have raised several chickens with leg problems. I am no vet, but I will share with you some of the photos of my past chickens with disabilities, and perhaps that will help. It is hard to say wether or not your chick will thrive in the future. To me it depends on how comfortable your chick seems. Is it chirping nonstop? Does it appear to be in pain? is it eating on its own?

Here is NEGU, a millie fluer d'uccle. She was given to me for free in a batch of bantams that I purchased at my local TSC. Here was her condition,

I attempted to teach her leg to grow properly using a variety of materials to form a cast, but it was seemingly impossible for me to keep anything on her leg for any length of time before it would fall off. As she grew older her leg grew more stiff, and eventually the opportunity to correct her leg had passed. But NEGU continued her life happily, her appetite never faded, and she did her best to move around in her cage on a shelf in my chicken coop (which allowed her to watch the flock all day). I did give NEGU special care each day during our feeding times together, where I would sit and assist her in eating and drinking, to ensure she was staying healthy.

She lived a good 11 months before she suddenly passed away.




I also had a chick named Ellie, who passed far too soon. I had placed several golden sebright eggs in my homemade incubator, but only one chick had hatched on time. Days had passed until I noticed a new pip, and as the hole in the egg grew, so did my excitement. But after well over twenty four hours, the chick made no more progress. I watched her toes stick out of the hole in her egg, and she seemed stuck. After speaking to members on this wonderful forum, I took it into my own hands and helped this struggling chick hatch.

But this chick was not out of the woods just because she was out of her egg. I soon realized she had a crackling noise when she breathed, her neck seemed too long, and her feet seemed to not work as she wanted them to. After days of feeding her with a piece of thread, constructing sandals for her toes and allowing her to steal my heart, my poor Ellie passed away.



Lastly, let me share the story of Poachy, a black Australorp hen who showed me that no matter how many times you get knocked down, it is always worth getting up again. Poachy was One of my first chickens, she was healthy, until she was eight weeks old and developed crooked toes out of the blue. Despite her toes being crooked, she got around just fine.

At about a year old, Poachy developed a limp. It came out of nowhere, and I examined her foot several times and did several soakings in Epsom salt. Nothing would correct this limp. But she was strong, and she kept up nicely with the others, until one day, months later, on a cold winter morning, when Poachy was found laying on the coop floor nearly dead. She was bleeding from her head and she struggled to keep her eyes open.

I carried her into the house and I watched my hen come incredibly close to death. I was saying goodbye to her one morning as she gasped for every breathe, but a miracle occured and I watched my hen spring back to life over the course of weeks of care. Her wound healed, feathers regrew, she learned to walk again, but she was no longer accepted by the flock. I became her best friend, and she became mine.

In May of 2015, I dropped Poachy accidentally from my arms. She did not soften her fall with her wings and she came crashing down on her leg. Her mobility was taken from her.
I made her a wheelchair, and I fed her and aided to her every need. Until on May 13th, when she slipped away into gods care at the age of 4.

Hopefully sharing my experiences with you will give you some hope (or at least some support to know that you are not alone in this). If I could offer you any advice based on my experience I would say not to use a syringe to feed your chick. If your chick eats and drinks on its own than you don't have to worry, but in the case that you do have to hand feed a chick, syringes are far too dangerous to use. I had Ellie aspirate on me the day before she died because I was using a syringe to let her drink water. I was able to bring her back that night, but I was lucky, and the next day she passed on. After she aspirated, I began to use a thread in the shape of a loop. I would dip the thread in moist feed or water and bring it to her beak where she would grap the thread and eat small morsels at a time. It was a slow process but it worked for her. Just be sure you have a long piece of thread, lol, sometimes the chick will get excited and grab it from you.

Also, it is my opinion that after a certain age the chicks bones become less miable. If you are able to fix her leg, sooner is better than later.

Best of luck to you.

 

[GitaBooks]

Those were incredible stories, Sunny.

 

[Crystal220]

Wow, Thank you for your stories Sunny. I am Hopeful that things will somehow work out for this little baby. I'm not sure how to possibly reset the hip cause it just feels so strange and I can't figure out where to begin, I'm hoping that moving the leg and "exercising" it, maybe the hip will pop into place . It's not in pain, thankfully, it drinks pretty well through a hamster water bottle. Eating seems to be another story. My daughter said she got it to eat. I got it to eat one granule. But it doesn't seem interested in food much.

The string method. I get how it works for water. But how does it work for food. Any suggestions as to getting this little baby to eat would be appreciated. Right now it is in an upside down hamster hut filled with pine shavings. Its happy there, and it keeps baby from rolling on its back.

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Moisten the food.
I usually ground up chick starter until it is a fine powder, and then I add water to it. Hard boiled egg is great for chicks, especially ones with special needs that could really benefit from the boost. I take the yolk of the hard boiled egg and make it mush, add water if needed.
If the food is moist you can dip the thread in it easier. If the thread doesn't work for the food (and the food keeps falling off), try dipping your finger in the moistened food and presenting it to the chicks beak.

Another thing I have found that chicks like is to snuggle with socks, or even fabric gloves. It gives them something warm to cuddle with. I've had chicks get pretty attached to their sock, lol.

It sounds like you have created a cozy home for the little chick. Keep up the good work.

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

How is the baby doing?

 

[Crystal220]

Hey everyone. So I just wanted to say thank you to all who sent advise. I've been so busy with the baby and Ginormica, my favorite hen went broody but Critical Bill, the rooster was killed by the neighbors dogs 2 weeks prior and my new rooster, Jimmy the Saint was immature. But a broody hen is a terrible thing to waste so my neighbor, bless her, gave me some eggs from her hens. We got one successful hatch from that and little Chainsaw is happy and healthy.
Meanwhile Cripple, (can you tell my kids name the birds) is doing well. She is walking and feeding herself. The foot on her bad leg is curled under so she kinda walks like a pirate. I'm not sure if she will ever join the flock completely, but our brooder box is on the ground level where she can still interact with the flock.

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Hey everyone.  So I just wanted to say thank you to all who sent advise.  I've been so busy with the baby and Ginormica, my favorite hen went broody but Critical Bill, the rooster was killed by the neighbors dogs 2 weeks prior and my new rooster, Jimmy the Saint was immature.  But a broody hen is a terrible thing to waste so my neighbor, bless her, gave me some eggs from her hens.  We got one successful hatch from that and little Chainsaw is happy and healthy. 
Meanwhile Cripple, (can you tell my kids name the birds)  is doing well.  She is walking and feeding herself.  The foot on her bad leg is curled under so she kinda walks like a pirate.  I'm not sure if she will ever join the flock completely, but our brooder box is on the ground level where she can still interact with the flock. 

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How wonderful! The chick is mobile and eating on its own. Definitely a step in the right direction. As long as it doesn't appear to be in pain, I think your young chick has a good chance. It may not be able to live safely with the rest of the flock. As with most animals, they tend to go after the weakest link. But it really depends on your flocks dynamics. It could work out.

Nice of your neighbor to supply you with those eggs. I, too I consider broody hens to be a wonderful asset to a homestead. I like to take advantage of their broodiness, but my new hens are absolutely relentless. If it were up to them they would have me running a hatchery! Crazy girls!

Enjoy your chickens!