Lame 2/3 week old chick

[Bumblebee-chicks]

Hello. I got the cutest little serama chicks. One and a half weeks ago when they were about 2 weeks old, one of them developed a limp that I hoped was just a bruised leg from jumping and playing in the brooder. When I noticed and to this day the chick eats, drinks, cheeps, runs and plays with her buddy (i watched them run around chasing each other for nearly five minutes for a little piece of bedding just yesterday). Unfortunately that issue has not resolved. The ankle joint appears weak, a little more bulbous than the unaffected leg, and and the leg splays out a bit. When she sits down sometimes she prefers to flop with the bad leg out. She definitely does struggle to stand up but once up she's okay. She is less stable than her healthy companion and a little less energetic. I googled feverishly and really am not sure what I supposed to do. I tried to entice the babies to have some vitamin e but they haven't gone for it. They are very dependent on each other and scream when separated but her healthy companion is a little aggressive jumping on her, snuggling a little much, some gentle pecks here and there. I did spot a teeny bit of blood on her toe today that I suspect is because the healthy one pecks a little when the hurt one flops over. I'm carefully monitoring for sure. Any suggestions?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

Can you post photos of her, how she lays down and the leg/foot?

I'd begin giving her 1/4 tablet B-Complex.

Hopefully with the photos we can make more suggestions.

 

[Bumblebee-chicks]

Welcome To BYC

Can you post photos of her, how she lays down and the leg/foot?

I'd begin giving her 1/4 tablet B-Complex.

Hopefully with the photos we can make more suggestions.

This is a good view of a partial flop that she does. Note this is the first time she's ever been on a slippery surface. I was testing to see if she could walk at all outside of the brooder with chips or my arm. She seemed overwhelmed and did not try. The leg does jut out like this fairly regularly. She can and does plop down with both legs under her but when walking or feeding the leg pops out like this too. She can use the leg to scratch herself and hobbles around on it even getting up to a good run. Clearly something is wrong but now it's just what can I do to make her life at good as possible. How do you feed b complex tablets to a chick? Is there a certain brand you recommend?

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

This is a good view of a partial flop that she does. Note this is the first time she's ever been on a slippery surface. I was testing to see if she could walk at all outside of the brooder with chips or my arm. She seemed overwhelmed and did not try. The leg does jut out like this fairly regularly. She can and does plop down with both legs under her but when walking or feeding the leg pops out like this too. She can use the leg to scratch herself and hobbles around on it even getting up to a good run. Clearly something is wrong but now it's just what can I do to make her life at good as possible. How do you feed b complex tablets to a chick? Is there a certain brand you recommend?View attachment 3525121

Can you get a better picture of the leg joint? It's probably a slipped tendon. I was able to find liquid B complex drops on Amazon that were very easy to administer. If you gently press on that bulbous part of the leg joint you mentioned, you may actually feel a little tendon slip or pop back into place, if that's what's going on.

 

[Bumblebee-chicks]

I wanted everyone to know yes it is a slipped tendon but it can't be fixed (I went to a vet and could not fix it and indicated the chick has a limb deformity on top). We are moving forward keeping the chick for now as she can walk around just like a gimp. I'll be curious people's experience long term as far as thriving chickens with this deformity.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The tendon is slipped? That can be hard to fix, sometimes not at all, but she's very young, so it's worth a try.
What leg deformity does the vet think? Is it a bone deformity like Valgus Varus or?

I'd still get B-Complex into her daily.

You'll have to search BYC, but there's threads about chicks being able to thrive with leg issues, they can sometimes adapt. They still may need daily help from you and even be housed separately if their flock is not accepting.
There are also sad threads too where eventually a chick does not make it or they do for a while only to decline later once they get older and begin to gain weight. Sometimes if there's leg problems, there may be other hidden developmental issues as well.

The first link is how to treat slipped tendon, this was actually a successful "fix", sometimes that doesn't happen.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/peachick-with-slipped-tendon.1092979/

LOTS of info to wade through on this one, but worth taking the time to at least glean it for any info you may find that pertains to you. Slipped Tendon is also called "Perosis"
http://www.poultrypedia.com/poultry-podiatry#chick_crooked_leg

Another you may find helpful.
https://www.chickenheavenonearth.co...u-can-do-to-help-chicken-heaven-on-earth.html

And lastly, sometimes a sling or chair may be beneficial as well.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

 

[Bumblebee-chicks]

The tendon is slipped? That can be hard to fix, sometimes not at all, but she's very young, so it's worth a try.
What leg deformity does the vet think? Is it a bone deformity like Valgus Varus or?

I'd still get B-Complex into her daily.

You'll have to search BYC, but there's threads about chicks being able to thrive with leg issues, they can sometimes adapt. They still may need daily help from you and even be housed separately if their flock is not accepting.
There are also sad threads too where eventually a chick does not make it or they do for a while only to decline later once they get older and begin to gain weight. Sometimes if there's leg problems, there may be other hidden developmental issues as well.

The first link is how to treat slipped tendon, this was actually a successful "fix", sometimes that doesn't happen.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/peachick-with-slipped-tendon.1092979/

LOTS of info to wade through on this one, but worth taking the time to at least glean it for any info you may find that pertains to you. Slipped Tendon is also called "Perosis"
http://www.poultrypedia.com/poultry-podiatry#chick_crooked_leg

Another you may find helpful.
https://www.chickenheavenonearth.co...u-can-do-to-help-chicken-heaven-on-earth.html

And lastly, sometimes a sling or chair may be beneficial as well.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

Thank you for the wonderful resources. The vet said it was an angular limb deformity and was fairly unspecific. He said the tendon had calcified and could not be moved back into place. I would've been willing to try and make a sling if it could be moved back into place. I have been putting vitamin b drops in the water every couple days but I'll go ahead and do it daily. I couldn't figure out how else to give it to the chicks.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad you were able to see the vet, at least you know the tendon cannot be moved or splinted.
Hopefully the deformity doesn't worsen, and she will learn to navigate. Sometimes they do.

Giving them all b vitamins doesn't hurt anything, so no worries there.
Keep us posted on how she gets along.