3-week old chick with a bad leg - any advice please

[RoyalChick]

Please remember most of us here are amateurs, and we are coming from mostly experience, making the best guesses we can. Occasionally, we'll get some unusually good input from a new member, and we all pick up knowledge. Thanks, @BillieVerdin and welcome to BYC.

Vitamin E is always good to give if neurological causes are suspected. If you aren't already giving it, it would be a very good idea along with B vitamins.

As long as the chick doesn't deteriorate, there's hope this is a vitamin issue. At this young age, it most likely is. I would expect to see some improvement within a couple weeks if the vitamins are to make a difference.

No improvement rather than some, won't be encouraging, and further deterioration in spite of the vitamins would then make a virus more likely.

Thanks @azygous. Yes, the supplement I have been given has B complex, A, D, E, C and K.
I gather it is almost impossible to over-dose on the B complex and the safety margin on E is also wide. I am getting a bit worried I might be overdosing them on A, C and K and am trying to figure out what the risks are of those.
This morning I felt there was some improvement in the foot - with my help she even stood somewhat normally - but on the other hand I caught her left wing drooping a bit (mind you that might not be weakness but just using it to prop herself up).
So heartbreaking to see her struggle - I am giving her a few hours without her brace and will put it back on this afternoon.
Poor baby.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Thanks @azygous. Yes, the supplement I have been given has B complex, A, D, E, C and K.
I gather it is almost impossible to over-dose on the B complex and the safety margin on E is also wide. I am getting a bit worried I might be overdosing them on A, C and K and am trying to figure out what the risks are of those.
This morning I felt there was some improvement in the foot - with my help she even stood somewhat normally - but on the other hand I caught her left wing drooping a bit (mind you that might not be weakness but just using it to prop herself up).
So heartbreaking to see her struggle - I am giving her a few hours without her brace and will put it back on this afternoon.
Poor baby.

Hang in there, RC. Remember some self-care too.

 

[RoyalChick]

Today’s progress (or not).
First two clips are with her boot on. She is strapped into a 90 degree boot to try and help her have an angle between her digits and the rest of her foot.
As painful as it looks she does actually move with it better than she did yesterday before I used it because she can sometimes stand upright.

And this third clip is after our morning PT session where I let her back in without the boot. Again painful to watch but actually does look better than yesterday.
That may just be me losing perspective and wishful thinking.

I am in no rush but I do need to do the right thing with regards to quality of life. Based on these videos I think it is worth persevering. Please be honest with me if you think otherwise.

 

[azygous]

It's worth persevering, given her young age. She has a good chance of overcoming this, I believe.

 

[RoyalChick]

It's worth persevering, given her young age. She has a good chance of overcoming this, I believe.

Thank you for the perspective. She doesn't look too miserable right now I think.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Today’s progress (or not).
First two clips are with her boot on. She is strapped into a 90 degree boot to try and help her have an angle between her digits and the rest of her foot.
As painful as it looks she does actually move with it better than she did yesterday before I used it because she can sometimes stand upright.

And this third clip is after our morning PT session where I let her back in without the boot. Again painful to watch but actually does look better than yesterday.
That may just be me losing perspective and wishful thinking.

I am in no rush but I do need to do the right thing with regards to quality of life. Based on these videos I think it is worth persevering. Please be honest with me if you think otherwise.

She is dealing with the bum leg pretty well, seems to me. She has energy, interest in everything and you haven't been able to discern pain in PT or enough that it interferes with her daily activities. She is not wasting away, declining, so to speak, at this point. My truly honest opinion is I would persevere for now.

Frankly the earlier video today looked like an improvement in her toes, and no slow down in her interest and energy. Here she is getting pretty good at figuring out how to deal with this bum leg which may be getting better slowly. Possibly the bootie is more helpful to her on than off? She seemed to use it as a reliable brace in the short bits I saw. Is it good to have some hours with it off though?

I do have concern for her landings, to not injure herself as she moves about. Can she get down from the plate? Get back up? Move about the brooder? Her flying abilities will serve her well soon but of course none of them can fly accurately.

So until much clearer signs of deterioration showed I wouldn't give up if she were under my care. Plus it appears the others want to be with her, too. Notice how they bopped around and then came back to rest with her? I would let them continue to figure it all out.

 

[RoyalChick]

She is dealing with the bum leg pretty well, seems to me. She has energy, interest in everything and you haven't been able to discern pain in PT or enough that it interferes with her daily activities. She is not wasting away, declining, so to speak, at this point. My truly honest opinion is I would persevere for now.

Frankly the earlier video today looked like an improvement in her toes, and no slow down in her interest and energy. Here she is getting pretty good at figuring out how to deal with this bum leg which may be getting better slowly. Possibly the bootie is more helpful to her on than off? She seemed to use it as a reliable brace in the short bits I saw. Is it good to have some hours with it off though?

I do have concern for her landings, to not injure herself as she moves about. Can she get down from the plate? Get back up? Move about the brooder? Her flying abilities will serve her well soon but of course none of them can fly accurately.

So until much clearer signs of deterioration showed I wouldn't give up if she were under my care. Plus it appears the others want to be with her, too. Notice how they bopped around and then came back to rest with her? I would let them continue to figure it all out.

I was worried about the heights too but she navigates quite well and the shavings are very deep so when she falls it is a soft landing.
They definitely all cuddle together. I am watching closely for bullying but honestly I think they are all friends at this point.
I don’t know about time out of brace. My instinct was to let her practice a bit without it. Also, don’t laugh, but I wondered if it would itch if it was on all the time.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I was worried about the heights too but she navigates quite well and the shavings are very deep so when she falls it is a soft landing.
They definitely all cuddle together. I am way hung closely for bullying but honestly I think they are all friends at this point.
I don’t know about time out of brace. My instinct was to let her practice a bit without it. Also, don’t laugh, but I wondered if it would itch if it was on all the time.

No, I'm not laughing! You do want air circulation, and changing. I removed the leg bands on the Buckeyes when I noticed one peck at it persistently like it bothered them, and I had gotten to know them well enough to ID each one.

Friends - yes! I would guess that older birds would not be nice to a young one staggering about as she does, and especially not running away fast enough when reminder-pecked, but these guys, maybe they are so young, their buddy with a blue foot is just normal to them!

 

[RoyalChick]

No, I'm not laughing! You do want air circulation, and changing. I removed the leg bands on the Buckeyes when I noticed one peck at it persistently like it bothered them, and I had gotten to know them well enough to ID each one.

Friends - yes! I would guess that older birds would not be nice to a young one staggering about as she does, and especially not running away fast enough when reminder-pecked, but these guys, maybe they are so young, their buddy with a blue foot is just normal to them!

Yes. I worry about integration with the big Princesses.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Yes. I worry about integration with the big Princesses.

You have lots of time. Has the plan been to keep them in that brooder until 7 weeks, with supervised times out before then? For Bernadette especially you could certainly do something like what Bob did, a portable box outside.