4 day old chick w/broken leg

[Wyorp Rock]

Your overprotective Mama will likely settle after the chick is a little older. Do go out and give her and the chick food/water and a few goodies several times a day. Nothing gets to a broody's heart like bringing her something to feed her chick.

I agree, it looks like a deformity. Sometimes a chick can learn to adapt and thrive with difficulties so hopefully this will be the case.
I would however monitor the bottom of the chick's foot, it looks to already be forming a callus from pressure, could turn into a sore, unless that's just some stuck on poop or dirt. Take a look and see, but it can probably wait until Mama has calmed a little.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Your overprotective Mama will likely settle after the chick is a little older. Do go out and give her and the chick food/water and a few goodies several times a day. Nothing gets to a broody's heart like bringing her something to feed her chick.

I agree, it looks like a deformity. Sometimes a chick can learn to adapt and thrive with difficulties so hopefully this will be the case.
I would however monitor the bottom of the chick's foot, it looks to already be forming a callus from pressure, could turn into a sore, unless that's just some stuck on poop or dirt. Take a look and see, but it can probably wait until Mama has calmed a little.

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Definitely noted... I wasn't able to get a really great look at it because the chick kept kicking and struggling but it did seem to be a callous. I will keep a close eye on it and hope it doesn't become an infection or bumblefoot.

I don't know how much use the foot will be. Her foot was warm but she doesn't seem to be able to move her toes or anything.

Also her right eye is partially closed. I can't tell if she got pecked or if it is something more. Will try to see if I have some pictures of that too...

In the meantime I did get a video of her (with mama pacing back and forth like a sentinel....). Video of her walking isn't until the 1:17 mark.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Here's a better view of that callous that she is walking on

 

[TJAnonymous]

At 1:33 in the video, she turns her head but it's still really hard to see her eye. I tried to still-shot it. Anyways, I hope she makes it....she is such a pretty color of blue-grey.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She's just really protective right now, she's dealing with other hens, keeping up with baby and then you
I'd see how it plays out.
If you feel you need to grab the baby for a checkup, wait until dark when they are settled in. Put her back under the hen when you are done.

 

[TJAnonymous]

She's just really protective right now, she's dealing with other hens, keeping up with baby and then you
I'd see how it plays out.
If you feel you need to grab the baby for a checkup, wait until dark when they are settled in. Put her back under the hen when you are done.

Yeah, a night time raid is probably the only route at this point. She has the baby in the goat house where it was hatched. I tried to toss some chick starter to her and the baby this evening and she came at me the moment I stepped in the doorway. I hadn't even gone inside... I guess she has a long memory....

 

[TJAnonymous]

Good afternoon everyone! I really REALLY need some experienced advice here....

When I started this thread I mentioned I thought something was wrong with the chick's right eye... Well I was right. Last night I noticed her eye was swelled shut. I managed to snag her away from her overprotective mama today to examine her more closely. The eye is not only swollen shut but has a river of gunky pus streaming from it.

I took her inside and for the past 30 - 45 minutes have been trying to gently clean her eye wirh warm water and a clean washcloth. While I did clean a lot of it out, I can't get enough of it off to see her actual eyeball. I even soaked a cotton ball in very warm (not hot) water and held it against her eye for 10 minutes or so... Didn't budge anything. This is clearly very painful for the chick and she was in so much pain and distress that she's now panting/gasping. I stopped for a bit to give her a little break. I put her in a basket with a heating pad and some food/water. She immediately began drinking water and is squealing nonstop. Not the same type of call that a chick routinely uses to call its mama, but sort of a weak, quiet staccato tweet...

Anyway, I'm wondering if there is a better way to get her eye cleaned out besides warm water? Anything that might help dissolve the hardened pus?

I do have Terramycin, Neomycin/Polymycin, and triple antibiotic ointment w/o pain killer. Would it help to use any of those without getting the hardened pus to come off?

Here's what the eye looks like now after all my efforts....

Here's a short video of the chick in the basket... You can see her gasping and her breathing sounds like crackling or popping.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Well, I haven't tried to clean the eye again tonight. I DID put some Terramycin on it. I'll clean it again in the morning...

It does seem to eating, drinking, and pooping. And it isn't gasping anymore that I've seen....

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'd let her rest, then try to remove the pus. Terramycin in the eye is good.

The gasping is concerning. Did you notice her gasping this last week while she was with Mama?

 

[TJAnonymous]

I'd let her rest, then try to remove the pus. Terramycin in the eye is good.

The gasping is concerning. Did you notice her gasping this last week while she was with Mama?

No, in fact I thought she was doing really well. She's been getting around better even with her deformed foot. (Updated pictures of her foot below.) Her mama had even brought her outside since I fixed up some steps to help her get in and out of the goat house where she was staying.