Baby Chick with really messed up leg.

[HeyNay]

Hi All,
I hope someone can help, I have an approximate one week old chick which was given to us. One of its legs is deformed either by injury or was born that way. It's little leg seems to be straight until you get to the ' elbow' and then the rest of his leg down to the foot is twisted out. The 'elbow' joint is very swollen. It looks like it can extend its hip a little but can't extend the leg fully. It has movement in its feet but they are curled up in position. Please excuse my human terminology in explaining my chicken. We are still newbies. Last spring we purchased chicks and have grown up lovely. My friend hatched out some chicks and gave us a few which this little was included. I will add pics. I guess I'm asking if there is anything we can do to help him and his leg? Thank you!

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I was hoping someone else would have suggestions before I responded...maybe they will after. I've hatched a number of chicks and have encountered this issue twice. In my cases, it seems to occur with chicks that have trouble hatching (and maybe there's a reason). While the chicks are otherwise healthy, one leg has a joint that's not normal, inflexible, and looks enlarged. The foot on that side also seems underdeveloped or very weak and the chick isn't able to use it and can't straighten the leg. I tried treating for slipped tendon, but it wasn't successful (and I frankly don't think that was the problem). I always hold out hope that the problem will miraculously resolve and the chick will be able to walk, but in both cases, it didn't. With a large free ranging flock and the real possibility that life would become even more difficult for the chick as it grew older and heavier, I felt that it was kindest to euthanize the chicks...a very difficult decision.

It's entirely possible that your chick may have a different issue going on, perhaps a slipped tendon, rather than a deformity. There are older threads on BYC that discuss treating leg issues in chicks, like this one: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/177839/baby-chick-injured-joint-at-leg-not-using-leg-what-to-do. Best wishes for a good outcome for your chick!

 

[HeyNay]

Thank you for all your information. I feel we will need to send him an angel.

 

[Engo]

For the future, if your going to kill the little guy anyway I would recommend trying to set the leg, it looks kind of like a brake that didn't heal properly, so try re breaking it setting it and attaching the leg to a "cast" you can make one with a broken popsicle stick and tape. or you could wait until its older and amputate the leg. I've done this before with a bantam who had a run in with a racoon. chop the leg off with sterilized garden shears and the coteries what's left. our bantam recovered and was able to hop around on one leg well. I suppose you could also try this when its still a chick.