Chick has VERY UNUSUAL leg issue

[Lil'ChickFarm]

His leg will not stretch out. At the joint, it is firmly stuck in a bent position and the foot is turned a bit.
I can't make the leg stretch out to even splint it. It is not splay leg.
Has anyone seen this?
Baby hops on one foot and gets around fine so far. Can she/he live like this? I notice she will balance herself if she falls sideways by pushing herself back up with the shortened foot but is always hopping on one foot.

If anyone knows how to fix this, please let me know. I tried stretching her leg out and it will not stretch.
I brought her sibs and they gave her to me to help her as we thought it might be a splayed leg at first, but I let her have a day to get adjusted from the moving stress and today I looked closely and not a splay leg.

It is her left, but looking at the picture, it is on the right. You can see toes curl a bit which I could fix if the leg would straighten. But she simply can't straighten her leg out. It is fixed bent up.

 

[Eggcessive]

With leg issues, you can't lose by starting vitamins (especially B vitamins) and I would recommend either a good poultry vitamin to add to the water, or Poultry Nutridrench that has trace mineral products. Your chick may have a slipped tendon, but bone deformities such as a roted femur or tibia can occur. Slipped tendon can sometimes be fixed, but the bone deformities usually can't without expensive surgery if then. Here are some links that may help:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/756556/slipped-tendon-splayed-leg-confused
https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

 

[Lil'ChickFarm]

Thank you. I read the research and it has to be corrected the first 24 hours after hatching or it is permanent. SAD! Can a chick live with hopping on one leg for life? I can't cull this baby. It is too special!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Yes I have read on BYC people saying that their chicken lives by hopping around on one foot. However, I would make sure the little one doesn't have to deal with predators such as hawks, if possible.

Some chickens only have one foot and get around OK.

I hope he or she isn't in pain though.

 

[Lil'ChickFarm]

At this tiny age, if it was in pain, it would die. Chicks are very fragile. I tried to bend that leg and it is not budging. The feet are curled but I can't see any reason to try and straighten them if her leg won't drop down. So I am guessing she is going to show us if she can make it or not. She is a blue silkie, very pretty.
I live in the city and there are hawks, but my hubby is building me a new coop this summer that is for my silkies. It will be taking up most of the area that is open to hawks. The rest has trees and escape stuff for them.
The people who gave her to me named her Waddles. So I guess I will see how Waddles does. I don't want to cull her. She has a right as any disabled person would.

 

[Strader]

Was this a late chick in the hatch? Did you assist with this chick getting out of the shell? Ive seen feet curled under in late and assisted hatches and also a leg issue where leg stays in an tightly bent and up to body position. Ive fixed splayed or stratal leg issues but wasn't able to correct the curled feet and leg that never made it out of the tucked position.

 

[Lil'ChickFarm]

I don't know anything about the hatching as I got it when I purchased a group of chicks from someone. They gave me this one to try and help as I thought it was a splay leg at first.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I hope she does OK!

Good little Waddles!

 

[Eggcessive]

Curled toes can be a sign of riboflavin deficiency. It wouldn't hurt to try the vitamins in the water, and it won't harm the other chicks.