4 day old chick can't stand or walk

[ldlove]

My 4 day old chicks doesn't seem to have any control over the lower part of its legs or feet. It's legs are bent at the knee and it can't straighten it's legs and doesn't move it's toes at all. I don't know what to do for the chick. Any advice please

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi

Glad you could join us here but I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances.
Did your chick have a difficult hatch? Would you be able to post a pic of your chick please?

 

[ldlove]

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It wasn't a difficult hatch. It was the first to hatch and on day 21 just a hour before others. I noticed right away that it couldn't get around well but thought it might just be tired but it never got better. It keeps that one leg out to the side and moves around on its knees.

 

[ldlove]

 

[mom28chicks]

I'm having the same problem. My bird was last and could not hatch by itself so I helped. It hasn't been able to use its legs but I have tried taping the feet straight (they were curled) that help its feet/toes straighten out a bit but it still can't stand.

 

[BittyBantamMom6]

Your chick has splayed legs. It is fixable, but a long process that is difficult for the chick. Splayed lags is commonly caused by the chick being on too smooth of a surface at hatching, but I personally have seen it happen even with good flooring. My theory is that is can also be caused by poor positioning in the egg. This is just a theory though. I will tell you how it could be fixed, but you must first understand that the chick is sadly might not make it all the way through the process, but on the other side it probably won't even have a chance if nothing is done. Now there are cases where chicks get fixed and lives just fine, it all depends on the chick's determination to learn to walk. To fix it gently pull the legs were they are supposed to be and teather them together with a band-aid like so:

Now you will need to change the band-aid daily because it will get nasty. What this does is gradually make the leg bones and muscles shift and grow in the correct direction. Using a band-aid is more recommend, but if it falls of to quickly or something, use material that is easy to bend so the chick can still walk. I hope this helps, and that your chick comes out alright

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

[/IMG]
It wasn't a difficult hatch. It was the first to hatch and on day 21 just a hour before others. I noticed right away that it couldn't get around well but thought it might just be tired but it never got better. It keeps that one leg out to the side and moves around on its knees.

The hock joint looks worrisome to me and deformed ~

I'm not sure this is just a case of splayed leg. It is only affecting this one leg yes?
I've had it before and I'm afraid with not a good outcome after several weeks of treatment. My chicks problem was the tendon over the hock joint. It had slipped but even with treatment I could not get it to stay in place and had to make the decision to cull the chick for its own sake. Your chick looks very similar to mine ~

Here is a good link to read ~
https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

I'm having the same problem.  My bird was last and could not hatch by itself so I helped.  It hasn't been able to use its legs but I have tried taping the feet straight (they were curled) that help its feet/toes straighten out a bit but it still can't stand.

Does your chick look similar to the above one?

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I had a chick with that same looking deformity. She lived for a week or so but then passed. I opened it up and looked after she died and there was a bony growth there not allowing the tendon to function properly. I'm not sure why she died, though. I did make sure to get her to food and water multiple times a day. But maybe she had other things going on.

 

[ldlove]

The joint is larger than it should be on both legs. And I can't move the leg into a completely correct position. It will only straighten so far. I just didn't know if it was something the chick could over come with treatment. It's my only "blue" chick in the hatch so I was hopeful it could be fixed but it seems to be getting weaker every day even though I make sure it eats and drinks several times a day.

 

[mom28chicks]

To me my chick looks the same. I think mine was due to the position in the egg because when I help it out (it piped but did noting else for 30+ hrs) the legs looked funny and it still could not kick out. I put a rubber band on with a straw piece in the middle and taped the feet flat. I have taken the tape (bandaid) off the feet after 24 hrs and it is much better actually flat now instead of curled. The legs look better too but it still can't stand so I'm leaving the rubber band on longer. Also I noticed blood like a bruise on parts of the feet and legs at the joints. Not sure if that has anything to do with it or not??