sophiejane2000
Hatching
Hi everyone. I have a two day old ISA Brown chick, who has a stiff knee on her left leg. The leg also only has three toes. She can't bend her leg down and hobbles around on her right foot and her left knee, which has started to look a bit irritated from her dragging herself around everywhere on it. She was bought from a hatchery, all the other chicks that came along with her are normal. Other than her leg, she appears to be in really good health, she is active, alert, eating, drinking and is strong enough as she can move about pretty fast. She does not seem to be in any pain and shows no signs of discomfort when her leg is touched, although she seems frustrated with her leg getting in the way. It is not swollen or anything. She is always making happy little noises, except when she's feeling vulnerable (as all chicks do). She attempts to fly around with her tiny wings to compensate for her leg. It seems to be a genetic/developmental issue, but I'm not sure if she needs to be culled as she just seems to be living life like any other chick. She is really sweet and it would be terribly sad if we had to put her down. Would amputation be a better option? Should I wait for her to grow? Or would euthanasia be the kindest? If she was to live, I wouldn't breed from her.
P.S. If anyone doesn't know what an ISA Brown is, they are a type of hybrid commonly used for commercial purposes regarding eggs in factory farms here in Australia. They look similar to other types of hybrid layer chickens such as the Hy-Line Brown and Lohmann Brown. They are also very commonly found as backyard layers and pets here as well.
P.S. If anyone doesn't know what an ISA Brown is, they are a type of hybrid commonly used for commercial purposes regarding eggs in factory farms here in Australia. They look similar to other types of hybrid layer chickens such as the Hy-Line Brown and Lohmann Brown. They are also very commonly found as backyard layers and pets here as well.
Last edited:
