Chick got its leg stuck under the fence and was in the sun all day.. Can't stand up

[r4eboxer]

I don't see that the leg is injured but he cannot stand. I gave him a drench of poultry vitamins and put a peach in and he ate some of it. What else can I do. I've given water via a syringe but I'm afraid he is going to die, he is a very valuable cockerel.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Can you keep him inside? Give him water w/ Vitimans, a good quality food, some treats. Try giving physical therapy to the leg. Rub the skin and push it in and out for a few minutes. Getting the leg to function is lower on the scale, you want to stabilize his condition. Keep him somewhere warm but not too hot, wouldn't hurt to worm him and dust him with anti-mite / lice dust, either, if you have it on hand.
Best of luck, his system is strained so you want to be able to just let him rest and heal without having to monitor his heat too much or strain about parasites, etc.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do your poultry vitamins have the electrolytes in them? That's what he needs most plus the fluids. Please let us know how he is doing today. I see you are from Fairmont--WV? That is 3 hours from me.

 

[speckledhen]

Leg injuries and soft tissue injuries can take a long time to heal. Sunstroke is also a problem. Get him hydrated first of all and away from all other birds in a quiet place and give supportive care, including extra protein like scrambled eggs. Could go either way.

Also, soft tissue injuries can result in internal infection so a round of strong antibiotics is in order if you get him past the sunstroke stage. Most folks wouldn't think of that, but I've had experience with it as have others I know, and have had the advice of vets during the process. Sometimes, even penicillin is not strong enough to fix that type of infection and you'd need something like Cipro, which would require a vet's intervention. But, first things first. Get him out of shock and see if he gets on his feet in a few days with supportive care.

 

[r4eboxer]

Thank you all so so very much. He which I now believe is a she made it through the night and is eating well this morning. I will check the poultry drench and see if it has electrolites in it. I have her in the house in a cage and am going home to check on her condition again and give water and put some watermelon in too. She ate a good bit of chick grower this morning and seems a bit stronger. I have some antibiotics that I will start but when? should i wait a few days? I don't have a poultry vet around here but I can call my regular vet to see about the stronger antibiotic. I really need to save this chick ( it is suppose to be a Toulbont Polish roo but no signs of that and it is 2 or 3 months old now) I paid 100 for this chick .... yikes... and I don't see how she got stuck I have the welded wire tucked under and fastened to the ground, it's like having toddlers around.

 

[speckledhen]

Considering that it is a very pricey and rare type chick, I'd say do a 4 day round of penicillin injections at the least. The dose for a standard adult bird would be 1/2 cc daily in the breast muscle, alternating sides each time, though I usually would do 3/4 cc with a leg injury, knowing what I know about how infection sets up internally from them, but not sure with a bird this small and young. Best not to give injections in the leg since you can hit a nerve and do more damage (per GA state vet's advice).

You'd be very surprised by how infection can start from a leg injury and travel through the body, secretly, and eventually kill the bird. I certainly don't want to alarm you and it may not happen in this case, but it's something few folks even think about with leg injuries.