Baby with broken leg

[cundare]

Yesterday an apparently abandoned baby chick, maybe a week old?, wandered into our yard. We think maybe it got lost when it didnt' follow its mother closely enough in a neighbor's yard.

Two of our hens attacked it when it got too close to their own chicks and although we rescued it from certain death, it has a broken leg.

We're kinda new to all this and generally let the mothers raise their babies. They know best. But this little guy has a broken leg and we don't know where it's mother is. We raised another abandoned chick ourselves in a box in the living room last year. He grew into a large, handsome rooster who currently rules the yard, and is still friendly to us, letting us hand-feed and even pet him. But that was a ton of work, something I don't think we'd want to do again.

My immediate question is: Is there anything we can do for this little guy? He's adorable, but very traumatized and unable to walk. We don't know much about splinting a leg and there are no bird vets anywhere in our area. If we had to euthanize him, I'm not even sure how to do that humanely. And it would be traumatic for us -- an absolute last resort.

Can anybody provide guidance?

 

[WildChild283]

Did you try asking the neighbors if they are missing a chick?

 

[cundare]

Did you try asking the neighbors if they are missing a chick?

@WildChild283 Unfortunately, we don't have that kind of relationship with them.

 

[WoDia]

How is your “adopted” chick doing today @cundare? I’m like you… I would’ve taken in an abandoned chick in a heartbeat. Continue to keep it calm and warm. You mentioned that you’ve raised another abandoned one, so you know what to do. Keep it comfortable and provide easy access to food and water with some vitamins, so it doesn’t have to move around too much to eat and drink. If you’re sure the leg is broken, it really needs to see a vet… unless you have the tools to splint the leg yourself. IF it’s a break, make sure the bones are lined up before you apply the splint. In a pinch, popsicle sticks and medical tape/vet wrap will do (I’m going to tag a few friends). You want to stabilize a break. BUT, there is also a possibility the leg is only sprained. Without any photos, or more details, it’s difficult to make any further suggestions. I hope other members will provide their assistance as well.

@TwoCrows @Debbie292d @Liz Birdlover Can you steer @cundare in the right direction?

 

[TwoCrows]

I am so sorry this little one is hurt. Can you get a photo of the leg? Is it dangling, and black and blue on the leg? Can the chick put any weight on it at all?

 

[cundare]

We're giving him/her a lot of attention & have the little guy in a towel in the dining room to keep him warm. Hand-feeding. No vets in the area and no idea how to splint a leg, or even tell if it needs a splint. I can take a video, but I'm not sure what you'd need to see. This is all a first-time experience for us. We're used to our free-roaming hens taking care of their chicks. I downloaded a booklet on "avian splints," but it might have been overkill. 27 pages, daunting, not something I think we could easily handle.

We're just giving the poor little thing attention, good food, & a safe place to sleep warm. Beyond that, we're flying blind.

I'm surprised by how little maternal instinct these hens have when it comes to leaving a baby behind when they leave a yard. They just walk away and if not all the chicks keep up, oh well. Especially considering how fierce they are when another bird goes near their chicks.

I'll try to upload some pictures. He's hobbling and doesn't seem to want to walk if he doesn't have to. So it might take some time to get a video that is helpful.

 

[TwoCrows]

We're giving him/her a lot of attention & have the little guy in a towel in the dining room to keep him warm. Hand-feeding. No vets in the area and no idea how to splint a leg, or even tell if it needs a splint. I can take a video, but I'm not sure what you'd need to see. This is all a first-time experience for us. We're used to our free-roaming hens taking care of their chicks. I downloaded a booklet on "avian splints," but it might have been overkill. 27 pages, daunting, not something I think we could easily handle.

We're just giving the poor little thing attention, good food, & a safe place to sleep warm. Beyond that, we're flying blind.

I'm surprised by how little maternal instinct these hens have when it comes to leaving a baby behind when they leave a yard. They just walk away and if not all the chicks keep up, oh well. Especially considering how fierce they are when another bird goes near their chicks.

I'll try to upload some pictures. He's hobbling and doesn't seem to want to walk if he doesn't have to. So it might take some time to get a video that is helpful.

If he can hobble than its most likely a sprain or tear. Try to keep him from doing a lot of moving around, sprains can take a couple weeks to heal. He may be too tiny for baby aspirin, I'm not sure what you can do for inflammation. Maybe some ice water soaks for 5 mins couple times a day. Keep him immobilized as much as possible until he heals.

 

[cundare]

He's definitely not moving around much, swaddled in towels on the couch (!) He seems comfortable and only chirps in distress when he can't tell we're in the room. As soon as he hears our voices, he quiets down.

Working on getting some visuals...

 

[Debbie292d]

You can try playing a radio or a TV where the chick can hear it. That works for us even when they aren't an orphan but just needy.

Hopefully, @TwoCrows is right and this is a sprain or tear.

Regardless, for immobilization, here is a thread on different ideas for "chick chairs" or slings. I've seen dixie cups used too for chicks.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

That should immobilize it enough to help it heal and help relieve pain.

For a chick that young, for a splint, if needed, I would just wrap that area with a piece of VetWrap, painter's tape, or even masking tape. You could cut a narrow piece of a straw or something 1/8" - 1/4" wide and tape that to the area but put a piece of tape first, then the splint, just to make sure nothing can cause scratching to it. For that young, I'd just stick with the sling and perhaps tape it though.

 

[cundare]

Thanks for the additional information. We're still keeping him (or her) warm & giving him a lot of attention. He's eating and doesn't seem too distressed. We're hoping for a sprain, not a break b/c I'm assuming that we wouldn't need to splint/set bones with a sprain. Or am I wrong about that?