Chick with broken leg? Please help!

[Wyorp Rock]

I let the chick out with the others after about a total of 5 days. She was acting normal, eating, drinking (escaping), etc. She was still slower and not as quick in her mind, though.

Sounds like she's not getting to food/water when she's back with the flock.
Stress can bring about symptoms as well.

I'd still go to Walmart or CVS, etc. and get a bottle of Vitamin E and B-Complex. Dose her as posted earlier.

I'd work on hydration and try vitamin therapy.Give her 400IU Vitamin E and 1/4 tablet B-Complex daily along with some egg.
See that she's eating her normal feed, try it dry or wet, whatever she likes.

 

[kbroom]

I have a 6wk old Speckled Sussex chick that I think must have gotten her leg broken, fractured, sprained or something either yesterday evening or this morning. I had let them outside to graze yesterday and they were fine. She is one of the smaller of the Sussex, and usually very fast and skittish. She has different colored legs than the others, a tan color. The others are cream colored.
Today I found her in the middle of the brooder, being trampled by the others. She was doing a kind of army crawl, but kept getting knocked over. When I picked her up, she started writhing unnaturally, and fell on her back, unable to turn rightside up. She had no balance whatsoever, not even with her wings. Whenever my hand touched her heel or around it, she squealed and writhed again.(I found a picture showing what I mean by "heel" online. It is not her leg.) Her head would fall to the side of her injured leg. It was very hard to hold her because her body kept flopping over in my hand.

We took her inside, and I held her in a position that she wasn't hurt. She was obviously dehydrated. Her head would roll in odd positions, and sometimes twitch a little. She seemed unable to move her head much to drink water, like it would hurt if she tried. When she moved her head too far back, she would fall over backwards. To far to the side and she'd topple.
I gave her some water (put her beak in the water) and she did very tiny sips, not moving her head, only "smacking her lips" as you might say. We prayed.
After about 5mins she perked up, and her head wasn't rolling as much, only gradually moving backwards and then she would move it forwards again.
10 more minutes and more sips, she was able to perch comfortably on my hand without me supporting her. (I still supported her some so if she lost her balance, I could catch her.) She started moving her head for water herself, lifting it to drink as well. If she moved it too far up, she'd stumble back. We put her in a box with shavings. She moved herself to the wall to support herself on her side and back.
20mins and she started eating. She doesn't move her body to eat, just her head. She is regularly peeping in a not frightened way, and when we leave her and cover her box with a towel, she gets quiet. She is starting to sleep.

Now is about 1h 1/2 since we found her. Still doing well and happy. I have not started to look at where her leg is injured at. (Didn't want to disturb her yet.)
Is there any suggestions what to do from here, or any tips on splinting? I think it is probably her heel or thigh since that is where she screamed when I touched it.

Some people I might ask:
@Wyorp Rock
@Kiki
@U_Stormcrow
@Miss Lydia
@rosemarythyme
@coach723
@nuthatched
@Ridgerunner
@aart
Thanks all!

 

[kbroom]

I think the best thing is prayer believe or not. This is positive ENERGY. It DOES heal. Another thing to try, though I've never tried this on a small baby chick. Get some Comfrey (bone knit, in pioneer days). Make a poultice by heating a small bit of water in the cut dried plant (you can buy it on line, or grow it). Put several tsps. in the 1/3 cup water, let simmer on low heat. When it turns dark, let cool, put a little juice and comfrey leaves onto a clean cloth. Place the poultice on the affected area for the chick. You probably won't be able to attach it to her, but maybe hold her for a little while, so it can soak into the area.

 

[Chopper923]

Bad news...
I let the chick out with the others after about a total of 5 days. She was acting normal, eating, drinking (escaping), etc. She was still slower and not as quick in her mind, though.

2 days ago I let the birds out to graze and found her not able to walk in a straight line, hiding in dark corners, and avoiding other birds. Her balance was not as it should have been either. By evening, she was doing the same things she had been doing when the symtoms started in the beginning of the month. This time, though, the symtoms did not lesson when I gave her water. She refused to eat. I gave her Nutri Drench and Save-a-Chick.
Yesterday I force fed her tuna, because where her crop should be was only a bone. More Nutri Drench and Save-a-Chick. She was walking in circles, and showing no sign of recovery, and was pretty much constintally twisting or flopping. Her head went anywhere but straight. It was very bad and looked like she could die at any point.
While I was holding her and trying to get her to drink, she threw up what seemed to be mucus. It was clear and of the same texture of mucus, and was slightly sticky. It was about 4in long, 1/3 centimeter thick.

Today:
When I woke up, she was able to walk. She wasn't flipping around. She was able to stand like normal, but she still wasn't steady. She stopped walking in circles. Still refused to eat. Gave her Nutri Drench in water, more Save-a-Chick. Force fed her tuna and some chick feed, but not much.

As time went on, her health seemed to decrease and she is flipping more, walking in circles a little, not pooping much. Her head started twisting worse. I force fed her more tuna and a small bit of feed. Gave her a drop of Nutri Drench straight without water. Gave her normal water as well.
While I was working with her she spewed more of the mucus stuff, same dimensions.

Her poop seems normal, more white capped than usual. Nothing coming out of her nose that I can see, unless the mucus came out of her nose, but I figure it must have come out of her mouth because there was no remnant of mucus on her face.

Please help. I am very worried about her. Also if it is Marek's or not. None of my other birds have been showing symtoms. There is one bird that I am kind of worried about. She is a Buff Orpington, 9.5wks old. She is small and very light compared to the others. Her crop is about a third how hard it could be (I checked her in the middle of the day). She does not drink or eat when I put food or water in front of her. Gave her tuna and Nutri Drench. She likes grass, though. She is hesitant in getting out of the coop, does not run even when you try to catch her, and does not strugle. Maybe she is just a nice girl? It just seems odd when all the other birds are acting fiesty.
I gave both my hens and chicks some nutri drench in their water.

I have a couple questions before I sign off:
What is the time frame from time abtained to time of symtoms with the twisting neck for Marek's?
If it is Mareks, is there anyway to stop it, and what is the mortality rate? How quickly does it spread?
I am thinking about getting a stool sample for the chick with the twisting neck. Would Marek's or another disease come up in a stool sample, or do you have to do a different type of sample? What is the average cost for a sample and how long does it take?
The last question, and one I hope not to have to do, but, how do you humanely cull a chick?

Thank you all. Any advice would be appreciated.

What an emotional roller coaster.

 

[Chickengirl209]

Thanks for all your advice.
Today she was too weak to even chirp, and whenever she did it it was a momma call. We put her down today. Poor girl was so sick. <3

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks for all your advice.
Today she was too weak to even chirp, and whenever she did it it was a momma call. We put her down today. Poor girl was so sick. <3

I'm sorry.

 

[kbroom]

Thanks for all your advice.
Today she was too weak to even chirp, and whenever she did it it was a momma call. We put her down today. Poor girl was so sick. <3

So sorry to hear that. My heart just stopped after my jealous little dog got my Coco, a beautiful EE. I'd been nursing her back to health, so she was weak, when Squeaky took advantage, when my back was turned! I will never forget her. We had a funeral pyre for her and prayed. She was so beautiful to me.

 

[Chickengirl209]

@Kiki
You had talked about earlier on this page about problems with the crop. I noticed today that another one of my Sussex had a gigantic crop. Only a little smaller than a hen's. The Sussex is only 9wks old, like the last one. Another Sussex has a larger-than-normal crop as well, but not as big. Come to think of it, I believe the one with the "gigantic" crop has had that for a couple of days, I just didn't think of it.
Her crop is soft and mushy. Her breath does not smell bad, although it does smelly like grass, but I think that is probably normal because she has been grazing. She is eating. She is one of the hesitant ones to leave the coop, but otherwise energetic. I cannot hear any gurgling sounds from inside the crop. Just what I think is the feathers scratching my ears.

Is this normal? Do you think that it is probably just she ate a lot or she is turning into an adult so her crop is enlarging as she is growing? This is my first round raising chicks, so I'm not sure of a lot of things...

The pics with the bird on the wood are the pics of the one with the large crop. The pic with the chick in the grass is a pic of what most of my other birds look like.

 

[Chickengirl209]

Never mind. She is fine looking today. I guess I have a tendency to look too carefully... LOL.

 

[Kiki]

@Kiki
You had talked about earlier on this page about problems with the crop. I noticed today that another one of my Sussex had a gigantic crop. Only a little smaller than a hen's. The Sussex is only 9wks old, like the last one. Another Sussex has a larger-than-normal crop as well, but not as big. Come to think of it, I believe the one with the "gigantic" crop has had that for a couple of days, I just didn't think of it.
Her crop is soft and mushy. Her breath does not smell bad, although it does smelly like grass, but I think that is probably normal because she has been grazing. She is eating. She is one of the hesitant ones to leave the coop, but otherwise energetic. I cannot hear any gurgling sounds from inside the crop. Just what I think is the feathers scratching my ears.

Is this normal? Do you think that it is probably just she ate a lot or she is turning into an adult so her crop is enlarging as she is growing? This is my first round raising chicks, so I'm not sure of a lot of things...

The pics with the bird on the wood are the pics of the one with the large crop. The pic with the chick in the grass is a pic of what most of my other birds look like.

What time of day did you take the picture with this huge crop?

You're not feeding them grass right? They're just pecking at it while out in the yard?