Crippled newborn chick

[MichiganWoods]

What typically happens to these guys? The leg straightened out somewhat over the course of the night, but it's still twisted outward and the toes are curled. I thought the others might pick on him, but he's being quite vicious and poking the other guys in the eyeball! He's able to hobble around and is not immobile from the deformity.

 

[birdlover]

Awwww, he's so cute! I had a chick with a bad leg (it was pulled up tight against his chest and he couldn't use it) and the vet said to exercise it daily, several times a day...bend and stretch, massage, etc. The leg looks like it might need something like that. My bird was eventually able to stand on his leg and he just walked with a limp. However, a year later, his hock got infected and eventually he died under anesthesia when they were taking xrays and fluid samples. Hope your little guy fares better!

 

[pbjmaker]

Did you see this link?

http://www.peafowl.org/ARTICLES/1/

It came from this thread and the foot looks somewhat like yours.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=99170

 

[New2chickensnky]

Helllo. I read your post and I wanted to share my experience with you on this one. The first one I had like this was our last hatch the begining of October and we had one little fellow with a broke looking leg and he managed fairly well, I made sure he got his food and water several times a day and he than started to get it on his own. He lived a little over a week , he just scooted around on what he could use , I did not want to get shed of him just because of this and wanted to keep him so we were fixing his own little place to live when I noticed him gasping for air, the others , would sleep right beside him at night , I like to think they were trying to take care of him , but when it got a bit cooler in the brooder , they crowded him , he was unable to get out of the way and I think they killed him by smothering him. This hatch , we had one with the same thing ,but he is holding his own in there with the other 8. I am unsure what causes this, but I think that as long as the others are not bothering him , and he is eating and driniking , he should be fine. He sure is a cute thing, what breed is he?

 

[MichiganWoods]

I just checked on him again and the leg is really straightening out on its own. He's standing on both feet, though the one wants to rock back onto the heel. But he's forcing it down. I think he may just be OK without intervention, as far as the foot is concerned.

Thank you for your story, New2chickensnky. While I've gotten myself to the idea of culling older birds for food... I somehow can't convince myself of culling one of the chicks when they're just a baby.

Unless they are in obvious pain or distress, of course.

He is an Easter Egger.

No idea what he'll look like when he (or she!) grows up.

 

[farmergal]

I've had it go both ways with chicks with bad legs. The difference (in my VERY limited experience) seems to be will to live. I had a little chick who couldn't really get around -- and wouldn't eat or drink much. (She died at 1 week despite lots of TLC.) I also had a rooster chick with curly toe to the point where he couldn't walk at all. He sounds a lot like yours (although his leg wasn't twisted) -- he'd peck at the other chicks who came near. And boy, would he eat and drink! I put him in a separate "hospital chamber," put boots on him, and kept food/water in small jar lids. He didn't really learn to walk until after the boots came off... and he constantly would get himself stuck with the boots out behind him... but with TLC, he made it.
He's still a bit of a brat, but he's a big, strong brat now who walks just fine : ) It's a lot of effort for a chicken, but I couldn't bring myself to put him out of his misery, when he was clearly a fighter.
Anyway, if the toes don't totally straighten out on their own and the chick's a fighter... there are always the boots!