2 day old with leg issue... help!

[Freya]

One of my chicks hatched 2 days ago and is having difficulty using it's left leg. It can move its toes and leg, but can't use it to stand. It gets around scooting and when startled it starts doing circles because the one leg isn't working properly. It does most of it's time sleeping. Is there anything I could or should do to help it?
Thanks!

 

[PeMaJoEplus]

We're having the very same issue with a 6-day old chick, too! Anyone with any advice, please reply.

A silver-laced wyandotte chick, she's the same age as 3 other very perky brooder-mates, and already noticeably smaller. She still eats and drinks when given the chance (I've been spoon-watering her a couple times a day), and her legs/joints look no different from each other, in terms of swelling, shape, color, etc. Have read so much about slipped tendons, splay-leg, vitamin B deficiency as it relates to toe and leg problems, but nothing we've tried, from vitamins, egg protein, gently moving the joint, - has seemed to help her/gotten any better over the last 24 hours.

Her left foot now seems limp/unresponsive, and she's been using her wings to try to keep balanced, even though she's hunkering down low and doesn't try to stand often if at all.

We really don't want to lose her, and we're very new at this! Any ideas as to the problem?

 

[Freya]

yeah, sounds like the same issue. it uses it's wings to balance as well. It keeps hunkered down low and really doesn't want to move anywhere unless it gets stepped on by the other chick or some noise startles it. It has food and water but I don't know if it's tried any yet. I tried to show it the water but will try the spoon idea in the morning. I feel so bad for the lil one.

 

[PeMaJoEplus]

Weird question, but what is the breed of this chick, and where was she hatched? I have been reading a bit about how some illnesses/deficiencies in the laying mother hen can sometimes show up as problems in the chicks, too. Perhaps if a laying stock at the hatchery is ill/nutrition-vitamin deficient, we may be seeing similar things for that reason?

Mine is a Silver-Laced Wyandotte, about the same age as yours. Hatched a week ago (Sun), shipped from MyPetChicken.com to us in WI; we got them Wed, and she didn't start her leg problems until Friday. I've been reading that vitamin B deficiency can result in foot/leg problems (?!? really.) so we've been dosing their water with baby vitamins - Poly-Vi-Sol (without added iron is important) and trying to make sure she eats and drinks. Also giving them some hard-boiled egg (which the others fight over, and chase each other around the brooder, stepping on the lame one), but it's some protien.

Every now and then she sort of stands and looks more chipper, but still hunkers down more often than not. Has had the vitamin boost for about 24 hrs now, and is attempting to stand every now and then. I've got a couple of emails out to friends with chickens, too - but this is stumping most of them.

 

[Freya]

it's a cochin/EE cross and it was born that way. It seems to be getting a bit stronger, but still not using it at all. I started looking around the web and found this link here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/619151/slight-case-of-spraddle-leg-in-chick-have-questions

It's about hobbles for the chicks legs.

I just hobbled my chick and it's forcing the leg to be on the ground with the other one and get excercized. I'm hopping it will work. It wasn't to happy at first about it, but isn't minding it too much now.I also heard about hammocks which I'm going to research now as well.

 

[PeMaJoEplus]

Yeah, I read quite a bit about spraddle leg, but my little one seems not to have a "directional" problem. The leg is normally jointed and moves in the shapes and directions that it should, her left leg is just favored to the point of not using it as much, or at all. She folds it up under her like a flamingo, at best, or uses it sparingly just to keep balance, but doesn't want to put weight on it.

We've kept up with the vitamins (not sure what else to do) and she seems more frequently willing to stand and exercise the leg.

Fingers are crossed. She's already considerably smaller than the others, hasn't been able to eat as much.

Keep me posted.

 

[Freya]

Yeah, I was actually getting ready to take the hobble off becasue I saw it was for something different. My chick has the same issue as yours, holds it up like a flamingo. I dunno what to do. Seems to be getting a little stonger, but not much.

 

[PeMaJoEplus]

Our little one unfortunately didn't make it.

She stayed smaller, weaker than the others, as it was hard to get to food/water, and se kept getting bumped and run over by the others. I tried to isolate her in a half-shoebox in the brooder, with her own food and water; she got very upset when she couldn't see the others, so I cut the sides down. Once they could see each other, she was calmer, but the others kept hopping in, and she eventually got out (I thought this was a good sign). She'd still eat and drink, but spent a lot of time hunkered down, or power napping. My wife came home yesterday afternoon and checked on the chicks, and she was already gone.

Hope for a better outcome for your little one.

 

[Freya]

Aww... I'm so sorry. Poor lil thing. Mine is still hopping around like a flamingo. I read it may be a slipped Achilles Tendon, so I may try to reset it and see if it helps. We'll see.