4 week old RIR with bad leg.

[ShadesofSable]

My first chicks just turned about four weeks and one of my Rhode Island Reds pullets is suddenly limping. Her left leg is twisting out to the side as she walks and I don't know what happened. They're still indoors for now, on wood chip bedding. I've seen this kind of 'blow out' happen in meat birds before when they grew too big too fast, but this isn't even my biggest bird.

Is there anything I can do for her?

 

[Eggcessive]

It could possibly be a leg bone deformity where the tendon can rupture as the chick ages. Valgus/Varus deformity, Tibial Dyschondroplasia, slipped tendon, and osteochondrosis are some of the common deformities. These can be genetic, due to poor nutrition or mineral deficiency in the parent stock, or due to incubation problems. Many pet owners will try to give vitamins/minerals, attempt to put a slipped tendon back into place, or let the chick live with their handicap until it becomes to hard for the chicken. Here are some links to read about leg bone deformities:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1790586/
https://aaap.memberclicks.net/assets/musculoskeletal preview.pdf

 

[ShadesofSable]

It could possibly be a leg bone deformity where the tendon can rupture as the chick ages. Valgus/Varus deformity, Tibial Dyschondroplasia, slipped tendon, and osteochondrosis are some of the common deformities. These can be genetic, due to poor nutrition or mineral deficiency in the parent stock, or due to incubation problems. Many pet owners will try to give vitamins/minerals, attempt to put a slipped tendon back into place, or let the chick live with their handicap until it becomes to hard for the chicken. Here are some links to read about leg bone deformities:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1790586/
https://aaap.memberclicks.net/assets/musculoskeletal preview.pdf

Thank you so much for responding, I really appreciate it. It definitely looks like this could be what's wrong with her. I got her from a feed store, so I don't know what her incubation was like or her parents' conditions. I'll probably do my best to splint the leg into the correct position, and gve her some vitamin drops. If I don't see progress soon though, I can already tell she's in a lot of pain. Poor little thing. Hopefully she can recover.

 

[katie01143]

I would wrap it in vet wrap. Just be sure you straighten the leg and make sure that when you wrap it, it doesn't get to tight around the leg. I hope she gets better!!

 

[ShadesofSable]

Update on the chick- I was able to get a splint/wrap that kept the leg straight-ish, but it looks like a slipped tendon. It was a full 48hrs after it happened before I figured out what was going on, so it's pretty swollen. I tried to get the tendon back into place, but no luck. Hopefully the wrap will take some of the strain off her hock and the swelling will go down, but any tips on properly/easily rolling the tendon back into place would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Eggcessive]

Hopefully there is some help here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/756556/slipped-tendon-splayed-leg-confused
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/905811/slipped-tendon-home-surgery
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/886856/broken-leg-or-slipped-tendon