4-Week Old with Splayed leg - will it live a meaningful life????

[ChookieG]

Hi guys,

I've got a 4 week old chick which exhibited a limp about 5 days ago and it's become progressively worse. I took her inside and noticed she may have a splayed leg. The joint is buldging quite a bit and I think it has hardened. I've tried to move it to see whether I can set it back in place but I think I may have left it too late as it's rather stiff. Do you think she'll be able to live a meaningful life with such a badly dislocated leg or it is kinder to euthanize her at this stage? She's eating and drinking well although she's not as active as the rest and I'm wondering whether she's in great pain. Thanks.

Here are some images I took this morning:

 

[Eggcessive]

I would suspect this is a leg bone deformity such as varus or valgus deformity or a twisted tibia. Has it always looked a bit different? Then that could have been a slipped tendon. It is not going to be treatable, since leg bone deformities are not ever treatable, and slipped tendons are seldom treated successfully, but should be addressed in the first 2 days. This article has pictures of the deformities with descriptions if you enlarge them:
https://www.researchgate.net/public..._of_the_Intertarsal_Joint_in_Broiler_Chickens

 

[ChookieG]

I would suspect this is a leg bone deformity such as varus or valgus deformity or a twisted tibia. Has it always looked a bit different? Then that could have been a slipped tendon. It is not going to be treatable, since leg bone deformities are not ever treatable, and slipped tendons are seldom treated successfully, but should be addressed in the first 2 days. This article has pictures of the deformities with descriptions if you enlarge them:
https://www.researchgate.net/public..._of_the_Intertarsal_Joint_in_Broiler_Chickens

I've never really noticed a problem till about 5 days ago. However this batch of chicks has been my worst as the incubator conditions were far from ideal... I had only a 50% survival rate...hatch rate was good but there were many chicks with deformities that I had to euthanize. Not very pleasant. My subsequent hatch with the improved incubator conditions yielded high hatch rate with healthy offsprings. I suspect the disjoint may be congenital. In which case I may have to euthanize her as her condition is worsening unfortunately.