Chick hatched with one leg. Any hope?

[WYOwhy]

Hi, I'm a townie and fairly new to this chicken adventure and so have joined forces with a country friend who knows what she is doing. My first 18 baby chicks (hatched in May) have grown to big girls and were moved out to my friend's place to join her flock and free-range like happy birds should do. Meanwhile, my friend and her husband decided to experiment with the incubator and the fertilized eggs from their hens.

The last hatch in this first experiment with the incubator was born with only one leg. My friend thinks this might be due to a power-outage which chilled all the remaining eggs. Whatever the cause, I'm planning to keep this one legged chick and two others hatched just before the power-outage at my place and start my urban flock. By doing this I hope to rescue her (please let it be a her) from getting pestered and abused by the big girls. Do I have any reason to hope for success? Do any of you know of success stories regarding raising a one-legger?

Tips and advice gladly accepted.
Thanks!

 

[rcentner]

I did not have a 1 legged chick, but one that was born with a malformed leg. I tried to splint it so it could use the leg to balance, but it was unsuccesful. The poor thing lived for 2 weeks, hopping along. I had to help it eat and drink cause it couldn't stand to do those things. After 2 weeks, the other leg gave way and we had to put her down. The stress was just too much on one leg, now I always wondered if it was something I did...did she injure her good leg hopping around and maybe getting stuck on the towel or food/water dish? Or was it just a matter or time?

I wish I had a nice story to tell you of a happy 1 legged chicken that hobbles around, but not the case. I know there are some people who do have 1 legged chickens that do just fine cause I posted something similar to this topic when my handicapped chick was born. I hope you can have a happy one legged hen!

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Any stump at all ? If so, she could use it to balance and probably be fine.

 

[yzmike777]

You know how they have those carts they strap on dogs with missing backlegs with wheels?!?! Maybe get a toy car and try to build one! I would do this if it happened to one of mine lol but I am one of THOSE people hahaha! Luv that you are actually trying to help it and not just going to give up on HER! Maybe if you say HER enough it will happen haha

 

[WYOwhy]

Thanks for the feedback. Even the story about the chick who didn't make it is helpful. I'll prepare for the worst and hope for the best. She does have a stump, so maybe that will be all she needs. She comes to my house tonight after work, so I'll know more then. I'll take some pictures and post them too. I'm thinking her name should be Ilean.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Baaad, baaaad WYOwhy! Spell it Ilene, and let people figger it out phonetically.

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Quote:
I was thinking "Peggy".

 

[WYOwhy]

Quote:
Baaad, baaaad WYOwhy! Spell it Ilene, and let people figger it out phonetically.

Ah, on that note, I suppose the spelling could be Eileene? or Ailene? Although, mmaddie's mom's Peggy isn't a bad name either. I can see if will merit more thought and less impulse.

 

[fourfeathers]

I have had two chicks with 'one-leg'. One, an ameracauna, had her leg amputated as a chick when she got it hung up in a cage at the feedstore and the tendon slipped, plus had a fracture/infection in the joint. The leg was amputated right above the joint so she did have a bit of a stump. The tricky thing with the stump is that she had to build up a huge callous (not bumble) on the stump and we had to battle ulcerations for awhile until the callous developed.
This was my first experience with a one-legged chicken. She lived for a little over a year in a fairly closed environment with 3 other chickens. The other hen that she grew up with tended to protect her and lay by her. I did introduce a cornish that was handicapped at a later date and she and that hen got along, but the cornish was very mild mannered. Her remaining leg had a lot of stress on it and the hip began to deform. She did use her wings to get around a balance a bit, but for the most part would fly/flop short distances, lay under or near bushes and needed her feed brought to her on her level or so she didn't have to come to it. As time progressed, she grew thinner despite all the food I brought to her and the quality of her life decreased. You could just tell. I had to make a hard decision.
The second chick that I had/have is a bantam who sliced her tendon on a stainless steel chick feeder at the feedstore (despite my telling them over and over how dangerous those were). I tried to splint, but was never successful with being able to get the leg in the correct position. It essentially kept turning the opposite way at the joint and fixed in a bent back position that goes behind her. She typically uses her wings or hops on one leg to get about, but does not go far. I think that her being a bantam is helpful to the strain on her joints. Like the other hen, she also prefers to get under things or lean on things for stability. She has a difficult time, but is of a good weight and seems to be alright. I have chosen to keep her indoors. She is very fearful of other chickens and is terrified of the outside. She has a 3-legged cat friend who spends time with her in 'her room', a spare bedroom with a cage and carpet/rug on the floor for traction. She is usually only in her cage during the night and stays out the rest of the day on a blanket and under a propped pillow. She would not survive outdoors.
Yours may do fine, I hope so. It will probably do well with the other chicks as long as they treat her kindly and are raised with her.

 

[WYOwhy]

Good news! My chick moved in to town today and her "one leg" turns out to really be a full two legs but only one foot. The bottom of her second leg ends in a club. She is also older than I understood her to be, closer to two weeks. I guess I have a communication gap with my friend. But, I'm not complaining - I got three chicks out of the deal and we're looking forward to their future as happy town chickens.