Should I cull?

[NEHorse]

I am struggling with this one and I guess I just need someone else's opinion. I have a duckling who's knee joints appear to be fused. Both legs. He is sitting up, alert, ans trying to walk but those legs just don't unbend.

Does this have any chance of resolving or should he be culled?

 

[WalnutHill]

Any chance he slipped the hock tendons on a slippery surface?

Gently clasp the duckling in your left hand, head facing left. With your right hand, put your finger and thumb high on the "drumstick" and roll your fingers back and forth gently (like you were rolling a pencil). Work your way down from the hip to the hock. Once at the hock "knee" joint, gently extend the leg fully, then allow the duckling to pull it back up. Try the other side, then repeat if unsuccessful on the first try. If the joint is truly fused and you cannot flex it, there is little you can do other than seek veterinary assistance or euthanize.

I've had a few chicks and poults over the years slip this joint, and if you catch it quickly it generally causes no lasting issues. The tendon rolls out of the groove that it is supposed to ride in, and it limits flexion.