Chick has a bent leg and swollen hock! Help!

[kmurray2501]

The school I work at has been incubating eggs, they began to hatch on Thursday so I took them home to watch over the weekend. One of them will not straighten his leg, he often hobbles about on one leg using his wings for balance, or just lies with his leg to the side. Initially I thought it was splayed leg so made him a brace but this did not seem to make much difference. Upon further research I thought it may be a slipped tendon. I tried to feel to put it back in place and then bandaged it up and placed him in a chick chair. He was very unsettled and I was worried I had not positioned his tendon back in the right place at all. The next day I took the chicks back to school and allowed him to rest his leg bandage free, upon leaving to go home I have put another wrap on, not very tight, to cushion his hock as it looks very sore. Attached are some photos of how he holds his leg and what the joint looks like. He has been eating and drinking and his poop is looking normal. I would be grateful for any information on how I can help this chick? I have no experience but am willing to care for him whatever way I can!

 

[kmurray2501]

The school I work at has been incubating eggs, they began to hatch on Thursday so I took them home to watch over the weekend. One of them will not straighten his leg, he often hobbles about on one leg using his wings for balance, or just lies with his leg to the side. Initially I thought it was splayed leg so made him a brace but this did not seem to make much difference. Upon further research I thought it may be a slipped tendon. I tried to feel to put it back in place and then bandaged it up and placed him in a chick chair. He was very unsettled and I was worried I had not positioned his tendon back in the right place at all. The next day I took the chicks back to school and allowed him to rest his leg bandage free, upon leaving to go home I have put another wrap on, not very tight, to cushion his hock as it looks very sore. Attached are some photos of how he holds his leg and what the joint looks like. He has been eating and drinking and his poop is looking normal. I would be grateful for any information on how I can help this chick? I have no experience but am willing to care for him whatever way I can!View attachment 2590212View attachment 2590207View attachment 2590209

Note: He appears wet underneath on the images as he often loses balance and tumbled into his shallow water dish

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Looks like a slipped tendon. General consensus is it is not usually curable, but I would research the topic yourself. I've never dealt with, nor treated it, myself. Perhaps someone else can comment further advise.

https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

 

[kmurray2501]

Looks like a slipped tendon. General consensus is it is not curable, but I would research the topic yourself. I've never dealt with, nor treated it, myself. Perhaps someone else can comment further advise.

http://www.sunsetcroft.co.nz/perosis-slipped-tendon.html#:~:text=Perosis (slipped tendon), is,deficiency in the parent birds.

Yes I have read that it is not often curable if he/she is suffering then I will obviously not keep them around, but if he/she has a chance for a good quality of life then I’m willing to look after them myself (with a few tame friends)

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Yes I have read that it is not often curable if he/she is suffering then I will obviously not keep them around, but if he/she has a chance for a good quality of life then I’m willing to look after them myself (with a few tame friends)

It's a tough decision, whether your choose to help with the chance of failure, or cull the chick, the community here would support you either way. Most of us have been in your shoes in some form or another. When dealing with livestock, the chances of us having to make a decision like this is almost inevitable.