I brought it inside and put it in my other brooder. I have one disabled chick that is the same age but extremely small and has a very hard time walking. I had taken that one to the vet and she said it has a skeletal deformity. So, I put this chicken in with that one. It immediatly started eating the food in there and the small chicken huffed itself all up and was pecking at the larger chicken. The larger chicken could care less. It was funny because this is the most personality we have seen out of the small chicken. Anyway, it ate a bunch of food and I gave it water with vitamins added. I banded its legs back in position and it keeps pecking at the band. I thought maybe one leg was broken but can't really tell. It seems to be getting around a little better and can for sure get to the food ok.
They don't sense pain as we do ... they're made very differently, as they were designed to be a source of food for just about anything/everything else. And, they form flocks due to what's been hard-wired w/in, and there's no joy for them in isolation ... chickens truly need other chickens. To better understand how they're made, and best prepare yourself for a lifetime of keepin' chickens (which is what those that keep chickens most often do) ...
http://www.gallusgallusdomesticus.com/anatomy/presentation/ introduces an interactive presentation on the anatomy of the chicken (chickenatomy ~'-)
You can, during times of any stress, dissolve a baby aspirin into a liter of water, and offer free choice to your chickens ... even if they're not sufferin' any pain? It often makes their owners feel better.
One other thing, it does not appear to be in pain and when I put my finger in its toes it will curl its toes around my finger so I don't think either leg is paralyzed.
Bingo -- testing for responiveness by lettin' them grab your finger, or tugging gently so as to cause 'em to pull back, is an excellent way to test. And, reasonable proof that you're most probably not dealin' w/ the dreaded Marek's Disease Virus (MDV).
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