Which feed for a Freedom Ranger with an injured leg?

[Forestfarm]

I have a 2 week old freedom ranger who, at about a week old, started shuffling around on just one leg. The other FRs (I have 30 of them) kept trampling him so I quickly isolated him to another brooder. I originally had another chick in there for company but even just the one extra chick was walking all over him. Fast forward a couple days later and I came to the conclusion that it was a slipped tendon. Injuries are new to me. Swelling around the joint and a limp curled foot. At that point the plan was to splint the leg and set him up in a chick chair but each time I tried gently straightening out the leg it seemed excruciatingly painful for him. So I decided to just let this ride out and see if just time could (unlikely) fix this situation.

We are at a week since noticing the injuring and I am cautiously optimistic. He is starting to place a tiny bit of weight on the bad leg and today I noticed his toes were no longer curled up and limp.

Since it is a meat bird I have been giving him 22% meat bird feed but it recently occurred to me that maybe it's better to slow down growth while he continues to (hopefully) heal. I have a bag of 18% medicated chick started that I'm giving my egg layer chicks - would this be ok to give him?

Lastly, would this even be a slipped tendon situation if he is starting to heal up on his own?

Final thoughts - I don't think I can process this one if he survives! I feel like we're bonded now.

 

[Molpet]

That's the problem with injured meat birds I have been whacking them even if too small to eat. Traumatic to unalive a baby but less than one I have bonded with.
So I don't have any first hand advice about slip tendon.

Chick starter should be fine. I raised some CX on regular chick starter. Kept a pullet and most of my flock are out of her cockerels.

 

[Forestfarm]

That's the problem with injured meat birds I have been whacking them even if too small to eat. Traumatic to unalive a baby but less than one I have bonded with.
So I don't have any first hand advice about slip tendon.

Chick starter should be fine. I raised some CX on regular chick starter. Kept a pullet and most of my flock are out of her cockerels.

Thanks for the reply! I went ahead and switched to 18% while it is still healing up. We decided that this one can stay with our layers eventually and be spared the freezer. I've read that unlike cornish cross, freedom rangers can live healthy lives well past their processing date.