URGENT! Set slipped tendon in chick and now leg badly swollen

[Mollychicken18]

Well folks, I am overjoyed to report that my baby is doing much better. We ended up going to the vet, and it turns out we have a rotated femur situation. This is a birth defect, and would require surgery, but the nearest surgical center that will take a chicken is UC Davis, and that is many hours away. (Chicken are hardly exotic animals, in my humble opinion!)

I was advised to take him out of the sling and splint immediately, and let him do his thing. We were given teeny tiny syringes of gel meloxicam (like, a dose of 0.06 of a millligram lol) to help him over the hump. But I was advised not to do this for more about 10 days, as it can be toxic to fragile kidneys if taken long term. So I've been raising him on soft bedding, spoiling him with good food and constant attention. He is nowhere near as big as his siblings, but he is happy and healthy and comes RUNNING whenever I'm near the pen--who says moms love all their children equally? (I swear the others get jealous, but they don't beat him up as he was reintroduced very carefully to the flock.) He is now pecking at the keyboard as I write this, and he can run, jump, and roost very well. His leg still turns backwards when he's tired, and he has a very unique gait, but he doesn't stumble and stands tall.

Moral of the story: a backwards leg is not a death sentence. Be patient, seek a veterinarian, and when all else fails, give them some love and a shot at life. This is my flooffy boy now. Thank you all for the care and support! Much love!

Oh, and for anyone who wants to watch him and his siblings, I have a Twitch livestream at

. You can watch my floofs basically 24/7!
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How is she doing now? I have one who appears to have the same issue.