Okay to give aspirin to 9 week old chick?

Is it okay to give aspirin to a 9 week old buff orpington? If so, what is the correct dosage? The Chicken First Aid Kit (learning center) lists this dosing chart, but I don't know if that's for a full grown chicken?



The problem:

This morning one of my 9 week old buff orpingtons is limping. She's favoring her right foot and doesn't want to put her weight on it. I've checked her over as thoroughly as I know how and can't find what's wrong. There are no cuts, bruises, scabs, or other visible signs of injury. No bumblefoot. Nothing seems broken. I squeezed and bent all her toes and her leg and she didn't react (didn't appear to have pain). Her toes curl fine and her leg bends find. No swelling anywhere. Nothing feels hot to the touch. She's eating, drinking, and pooping like normal.

I put her in sick bay just to let her rest. The only thing I can think of is that she pulled a muscle - maybe in her thigh? I found this online, and giving aspirin seems the most reasonable thing to try?

http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/my-hen-is-limping-how-to-fix-it-a-gimpy-chicken/

I just don't know IF I can give aspirin to a 9 week old, and if so, HOW much to give?

Pics of my chick's leg & foot:


Don't know if leg sticking out is related to injury or not? I've seen them lay with legs & wings at crazy angles before (like when dust bathing).


She's able to straighten, bend, & flex her leg & toes - but she doesn't want to put weight on it. When standing her foot "hovers" over the ground or she tucks it up and stands on one leg.

Don't know if that's helpful with diagnosis? Should I do something other than isolate (to rest) & aspirin?

I would treat her both for a leg sprain or a vitamin deficiency. Look for any swelling of the joints or bruising along the bones. It still could be Mareks, but I wouldn't panic just yet. There are also leg deformities that can cause problems as they age and worsen. Put her on poultry vitamins in the water, and I would cage her for a week or so to rest the leg, but put her cage with the other chickens for company. Then re-evaluate her walking. Here are some good links to read about Mareks:
http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

Eggcessive said:

I would treat her both for a leg sprain or a vitamin deficiency. Look for any swelling of the joints or bruising along the bones. It still could be Mareks, but I wouldn't panic just yet. There are also leg deformities that can cause problems as they age and worsen. Put her on poultry vitamins in the water, and I would cage her for a week or so to rest the leg, but put her cage with the other chickens for company. Then re-evaluate her walking. Here are some good links to read about Mareks:
http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

Click to expand...

Thank you! I am definitely panicking. This morning I just thought she landed wrong off the perch, but an hour ago I discovered Mareks. Now I'm obsessively staring at her trying to "see" anything I missed. I heard her sneeze and just about started crying.

I mixed a packet of Sav-A-Chic into the very-diluted aspirin water (1/4 dosage on from the chart). I'm still hoping it's a sprain, in which case the aspirin might help. She's in the kennel in the house tonight, but I'll put the cage back out there in the morning so she's with her flock.

I took her weight (1 lb. 3 3/8 oz), and will keep weighing her to see if she loses weight. She's chowing down on food (and I gave her a bit of egg & corn in buttermilk in addition to her feed). My biggest worry is that she doesn't seem to realize the food or water is there. If I show her, she chows down. But I haven't seen her approach either bowl on her own all day. I've started giving her the vitamin water in the dropper.

Thank you SO MUCH - you helped tremendously last week with my other chick and I am so very grateful! I'm sorry I'm such an idiot when it comes to chickens.

You're welcome, but don't feel bad. We all are inexperienced when we first get chickens. They are supposed to be healthy when we get them, but sometimes you need to get some help when something seems wrong. I would suggest that you may want to get a poultry or chicken book to read about some of the things that can go wrong. I read about 4 books before I had chickens, and the Learning Center at the top of the page has a ton of information on there. Just reading the emergency thread here each day, you can learn a lot about diseases. Many farm stores have beginner books on chickens. I have never treated coccidiosis or had Mareks disease so far. You have treated cocci, and it's possible that your chicken may have Mareks, so that is not the normal experience. Here is an ongoing thread where people who think they might be dealing with Mareks can ask questions and learn about the disease: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/741957/not-an-emergency-mareks-in-the-flock

Thanks for the encouragement! I have no idea if Teal has Mareks or not. I'm working my way through the thread you listed, and for now I think I just have to wait and watch. I did put her on the ground this morning to see if her walking is improved (it's hard to tell that in a cage). She's limping but was able to run from me, so maybe that's hopeful. She's 1/4 ounce heavier today than yesterday, but weight fluctuates. I think I'll just have to wait it out and see what happens. In the mean time she's loving her mom-feels-guilty-sick-bay-chow of eggs, corn, buttermilk, & sprouted scratch (in addition to her regular feed). I'm still giving her vitamin water in a medicine dropper - just to make sure she's getting it.

I bought the Chicken Health Handbook last week when Purple was sick and I've been working my way through it. I also have Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens and a few others (Living with Chickens, Green Guides to Keeping Chickens). My first mistake was only reading the coop & housing sections before the chicks came home. The coop & run was just such a monumental building task for me that I was fixated on getting it right. That's not to make an excuse - it's just where my head was at.

If you've seen any of my other comments in other threads you'll know that I'm a big believer in taking responsibility for your animals. I realize now that I did exactly what I preach against - brought home animals before I fully understood how to take care of them. I don't take that lightly. I'm doing everything I can to keep this flock happy & healthy - and trying to read everything & learn as fast as I can - but I also know that if I lose them to Markes I'm not going to run out and get more chickens. I wouldn't DESERVE more chickens.

On a brighter note, my cocci chick seems fully recovered. Not only did she bounce back, but she quickly climbed her way up the pecking order. She may be the smallest, but she's definitely the bossiest! She's who I'm watching most closely, though. I already know she has a weaker immune system, so if Mareks is in my flock it's highly likely it would hit her next.

Thanks again for everything you've done to help. Quite frankly I don't think I deserve the help, but I'm grateful to have it.

Can you use aspirin on a 1 week old chick with a hock tendon out of place that is swollen. I know if I get the swelling down I can get the tendon back in place. I don't have baby aspirin so would regular aspirin work. If in a very small dose.

I would only give a chicken a baby or low dose 81 mg aspirin. If you cut a 325 mg adult aspirin into 4 it will be equal to a baby aspirin. Leg bone deformities are sometimes mistaken for slipped tendon. Either are very hard to treat successfully. Good luck with your chick.