Help?? 2 Chicks Have Joint/leg Problems No Spraddle Leg What To Do???

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chicknfishn

Songster
9 Years
Mar 22, 2010
205
0
119
SW Washington State
Help Everyone!!
I have 2 silkie babies that have problems with their knee joint. They both have problems but with opposite legs. They hold their leg up in the air and hop on one leg. They never sit down.
Just lean against the side of the box. They are healthy otherwise but are not growing as fast as the other hicks from the same hatch. They both were hatched almost a full day later than everyone else. It is not spraddle leg. The joint almost appears to be swollen. Originally I thought that it was spraddle leg and treated for it but then realized they were not putting weight on it. What should I do? My first silkies and they are beautiful colors and would like to try everything before culling. Any ideas?
 
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Can you extend the leg? Search for slipped tendon?
I had one similar to yours from a shipping issue (kept her leg up with swollen nasty joint, leaned against the side of the box) - she's fine and back in with her litter mates, no limp even, but definitely smaller than the rest of the gang. I used triple antibiotic ointment (also known as Neosporin) and some non-adhesive sports wrap (the tape that only sticks to itself) to make her extend the leg a bit for 2 days, then removed it and made sure she got plenty of chicken physical therapy. It took 2 weeks exactly for her to be healed to go back in.
Are they eating, drinking and pooping?
Also make sure to put them in a protected area (another brooder or a tall box in your brooder) so the others wont step on them or peck at them. I'd also make sure they get some high protein food (scrambled eggs or their crumbles in hot water) and make sure they drink at least every other hour and offer food just as often. I had to hold the food up for mine and hold her up to the water dish. It was worth it.
Good luck and keep us updated.
 
Ive had a couple of silkies with slipped tendons. I just popped them back in place and band-aided them up for a week or 2 and they are good to go
smile.png
 
Thanks for the ideas. I do have them in a separate small box and have been taking them to the water often. I don't want to put water in there as I have read threads on similar problems with legs, with chicks drowning. I have tried the slipped tendon physical therapy and at least one of the chicks seemed to like its leg stretched out, the other one not so much.

I separated them early as the other chicks almost immediatedly could tell that something was wrong and they were harassing them.

I also have modern day dinosaurs!! I call them my little velociraptors.
 
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I put neosporin and vet wrap on my two babies last night and just redid it this morning. Last night the joint was quite swollen and the adcess hard. I just unwrapped and looked at them and cut off the old dead stuff on top and then put hydrogen peroxide on and more neosporin and rewrapped everything again.

People in different threads seem to think that it may be slipped tendon. But how does it get infected and get an open sore if it is just slipped?

Both chicks are still quite spunky , not giving up yet. I didp their beaks in water every so often. They are both eating OK.

I hope that this works. I really like these 2 silkie babies!!
 
I have changed their bandages and one is sometimes now putting weight on its leg.

The other one keeps its leg stuck out in an odd way. So this one I used a Q Tip that I cut smaller and used it like a splint to make the leg stretch out. It seems to like it when its leg is stretched out. Both are still very spunky and eating and drinking, however not growing as fast as the others. But this is to be expected because they are not constantly eating like the others.

Keep your fingers crossed that it keeps working.
 
That is great news, thank you for sharing! Mine, too, was slow growing and is still smaller than the other chicks. I'm sure eventually they'll catch up. You can supplement their feed with high protein (like eggs or game bird feed) for a short period of time to give them a boost.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya.
 

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