7 week old chick with leg issues

[Hughzd]

I have a group of 7 week old chicks that have recently moved outside (it’s really hot here so the temperatures are okay). I had some issues with splayed leg in the past but by this point they were all looking healthy. About a week ago we noticed that one chick had some leg issues. Unfortunately this was the day before I left town so I splinted the leg as though it was splayed leg and gave the person caring for them some brief instructions. Upon our return, I did a closer inspection and it looked like a slipped tendon. I did some research and saw online that a-it may be difficult to treat by this point and that b- you should be able to feel the tendon with your fingers. I tried feeling it on the chick but I couldn’t feel anything. This could be that I am making some error, or it could be a different issue. Any suggestions? Any recommendations for my next course of action?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you please post photos of the chick and her legs?

A video of her walking/moving may be helpful - upload video to YouTube and provide a link.

 

[Hughzd]

Can you please post photos of the chick and her legs?

A video of her walking/moving may be helpful - upload video to YouTube and provide a link.

Of course, here it is

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Poor little thing!

That doesn't look like splayed leg, it looks more like a leg bone deformity.
Valgus Varus.

Splinting likely will not help and could make it worse. Usually with leg bone deformities, there is no fix and the bird is unable to support itself as it gets older. Often they fail to thrive due to not being able to get to food/water or they may have other underlying developmental problems that will present as they get older.




https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...ctious-skeletal-disorders-in-poultry-broilers
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1790586/

 

[Hughzd]

Poor little thing!

That doesn't look like splayed leg, it looks more like a leg bone deformity.
Valgus Varus.

Splinting likely will not help and could make it worse. Usually with leg bone deformities, there is no fix and the bird is unable to support itself as it gets older. Often they fail to thrive due to not being able to get to food/water or they may have other underlying developmental problems that will present as they get older.




https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...ctious-skeletal-disorders-in-poultry-broilers
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1790586/

Oh no
Although as a chick she seemed to have perfectly normal legs, so is this something that could develop as she ages? It seems like if it were a deformity it would have been present since day one. Any thoughts?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Sometimes it's not that obvious at hatch but can worsen as they get older.

 

[Hughzd]

Sometimes it's not that obvious at hatch but can worsen as they get older.

I see. As she gets older and larger I have noticed the problem worsening, to the point where she has quite a difficult time walking I am beginning to think about euthanasia, as I don’t think she will be able to walk in the future. Any thoughts? Any recommendations for how to go about this? I have never done this before so any tips will help.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I see. As she gets older and larger I have noticed the problem worsening, to the point where she has quite a difficult time walking I am beginning to think about euthanasia, as I don’t think she will be able to walk in the future. Any thoughts? Any recommendations for how to go about this? I have never done this before so any tips will help.

I'm sorry to hear she's struggling.

Putting one down can be a difficult decision.
For me, I use cervical dislocation using the broomstick method.
There are videos on YouTube.

Others decapitate or cut the jugular.

Do some research on different methods and find one that you feel that you can do, none are easy on the heart when it comes to something like this, but it's not supposed to.