Anyone Manage Leg Deformity Long-Term?

[Aunt Angus]

You are welcome! She’s super pretty!!

I think so, too! Should be fun to see her grow. I'm trying to picture what she'll look like, but I can't. These are the only 2 Polish I've ever owned.

 

[kurby22]

I think so, too! Should be fun to see her grow. I'm trying to picture what she'll look like, but I can't. These are the only 2 Polish I've ever owned.

They are so fun and sweet! I have Tolbunt Polish, one frizzled and the others normal feathered and they are to die for I hope they grow up big and strong

 

[Aunt Angus]

Twiggy update!

She's almost 3 mo ths old. She gets around with some difficulty still, but she's gaining weight and getting bigger. She's still inside the house until we can finish a secure run for the little dog house we converted into a coop. I will post pics when it's all done.

The only issues are that her hock joint is huuuuge. It doesn't feel hot and it doesn't seem to hurt her when I mess with it.

The other issue is that she walks on her good leg and her bad hock joint. It's kind of causing her to develop lop-sidedly. One wing droops because she has to lean over to use the hock like she would a foot. I really do think she will need amputation at some point.

Anyone gave any idea if this is causing more problems? I feel like I'm in uncharted territory, here. The situation is so Twiggy-specific.

 

[Weeg]

Twiggy update!

She's almost 3 mo ths old. She gets around with some difficulty still, but she's gaining weight and getting bigger. She's still inside the house until we can finish a secure run for the little dog house we converted into a coop. I will post pics when it's all done.

The only issues are that her hock joint is huuuuge. It doesn't feel hot and it doesn't seem to hurt her when I mess with it.

The other issue is that she walks on her good leg and her bad hock joint. It's kind of causing her to develop lop-sidedly. One wing droops because she has to lean over to use the hock like she would a foot. I really do think she will need amputation at some point.

Anyone gave any idea if this is causing more problems? I feel like I'm in uncharted territory, here. The situation is so Twiggy-specific.
View attachment 3203614

Hmm, interesting. I’m not sure why she’s walking like this, but it makes me wonder if a prosthetic on the bad hock joint would help her move around? There is a stalker on Etsy that makes custom prosthetics fit chickens.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Hmm, interesting. I’m not sure why she’s walking like this, but it makes me wonder if a prosthetic on the bad hock joint would help her move around? There is a stalker on Etsy that makes custom prosthetics fit chickens.

I've looked into this. I've even thought about making my own just to stiffen the leg, maybe. I've tried splinting it, and she just stopped walking altogether. I'll keep trying to figure something out. My worry is that the foot on her good leg is starting to turn outward a bit.

I'm trying to decide if this is just going to be her "normal" and if it's ok to leave it ne or of it's setting her up for problems later. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's going to require amputation. And if that's the case, if I'm just making things worse by prolonging things.

 

[Weeg]

I've looked into this. I've even thought about making my own just to stiffen the leg, maybe. I've tried splinting it, and she just stopped walking altogether. I'll keep trying to figure something out. My worry is that the foot on her good leg is starting to turn outward a bit.

I'm trying to decide if this is just going to be her "normal" and if it's ok to leave it ne or of it's setting her up for problems later. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's going to require amputation. And if that's the case, if I'm just making things worse by prolonging things.

I'm not sure, that is a tough one. Interested to see what others say.

About the ambulation, I get that too. The biggest issue is the surgery its self, which I'm sure your aware of. Anastasia is extremely risky for chickens, she may not survive a surgery, or maybe having her be older is a better choice.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Perdi's the same way, a bit lopsided toward her bad leg and always carrying one wing lower for balance. Twiggy's hop-walk is just like Perdita's! Like she tries to use her bad leg, but never really puts any weight on it. Perdi also tends to do rapid spurts of hopping and then stands for a bit where she stops, maybe doing another hop or two to adjust if she didn't quite reach where she wanted to go. She likes to lounge on her side with her bad leg stretched out, too, which is pretty adorable.

Note that I'm also kind of in uncharted territory with Perdi beyond the fact that she's 5 years old so I have that much time with her. Everything about slipped tendons seems like it's fix it or put them down because they won't lead a happy life, but my experience with Perdi speaks otherwise. I can't really say what is normal, not normal, what should or shouldn't happen, why things happen the way they do, because no one really seems to have that information out there. All I can say is what happened with Perdi and that she's still trucking along just fine and doesn't seem to have any problems beyond hopping along because of having a bad leg. I don't have the ability to have her bad leg amputated or anything (neither funds nor a vet willing to do so), so I cannot speak to whether it would be a worthwhile procedure or not in Twiggy's case. Twiggy's leg is at more of an extreme angle than Perdita's is. I'll see if I can grab a shot to show how it looks, other than the one I posted before where she's standing and you can barely tell there's an issue.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Here are a few shots of Perdita to show how her leg is. Hers is more like an upside-down L in how it's shaped, where the upper, feathered portion of the leg sticks out away from her body because the scaly part points almost directly downward. It's... remarkably hard to get a picture showing this with how uncooperative she is at times. Who'd've thought a disabled hen with lowered mobility could get away from you so easily?

You can see she definitely leans into her normal leg a lot more than Twiggy, probably because she keeps her foot down instead of walking on her hock because of how her leg deformity is shaped.

I think this shot shows her leg angle best:

From above:

Why does this feel like a 'my eyes are up here' kind of glare?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your pullet with the bad leg. These are very hard to deal with. The best thing for them is to learn to deal with the deformity and try to figure out a way to get around well enough to get food and water. She may be able to live a decent life if she can do that. I have seen a few pictures where the leg was left intact, and a 3 D printer plastic leg stump was attached to help in getting around. You can make out the little artificial leg similar to what Oscar Pastorius used in sports here in this local TV news item:

 

[Aunt Angus]

Sorry about your pullet with the bad leg. These are very hard to deal with. The best thing for them is to learn to deal with the deformity and try to figure out a way to get around well enough to get food and water. She may be able to live a decent life if she can do that. I have seen a few pictures where the leg was left intact, and a 3 D printer plastic leg stump was attached to help in getting around. You can make out the little artificial leg similar to what Oscar Pastorius used in sports here in this local TV news item:

This is kind of what I was thinking of trying.

She gets around ok. She eats PLENTY. In fact, I've decided to keep an eye on that. Since she is not as active as a typical chicken, I may have to take her food from her for a while each day so she doesn't become overweight. I'm also worried about the stress she's placing on the joints of her good leg.