Day-Old Chick can't stand, has swollen red knees.

[sforman]

I have a chick that hatched yesterday and she had spraddle leg. I attached a hobble made from a bandaid but this morning it had come off and when I went to attach a better hobble I noticed that her knees are swollen and have red marks on them that look almost like scabs. (I made an even better hobble than the one in the photos.) The marks are a little more angry-looking in real life than in the photos. The chick can't stand up at all despite the hobble and her toes seem kind of listless, they don't splay. She wobbles around and doesn't seem to be in pain. I can bend her knees gently and she doesn't squawk.

The marks are sort of symmetrical from leg to leg so maybe it's a developmental problem? Her hatch-mates are fine.

Could it be slipped achilles tendon?

 

[moonsafari]

I have a chick that hatched yesterday and she had spraddle leg. I attached a hobble made from a bandaid but this morning it had come off and when I went to attach a better hobble I noticed that her knees are swollen and have red marks on them that look almost like scabs. (I made an even better hobble than the one in the photos.) The marks are a little more angry-looking in real life than in the photos. The chick can't stand up at all despite the hobble and her toes seem kind of listless, they don't splay. She wobbles around and doesn't seem to be in pain. I can bend her knees gently and she doesn't squawk.

The marks are sort of symmetrical from leg to leg so maybe it's a developmental problem? Her hatch-mates are fine.

Could it be slipped achilles tendon?

Could you try applying coconut oil to the reddened knee joints and see if that helps to soothe it?

 

[sforman]

I don't think I have coconut oil, would some other oil work?

 

[AvianBrain]

Those are the bird's ankles, also called hocks

 

[moonsafari]

I don't think I have coconut oil, would some other oil work?

Do you have Vaseline or something similar? It looks like the chick’s knees are swollen from being bent unnaturally in that position. It shouldn’t be bent like that for so long.

 

[PasoRoblesEgger]

Looks like slipped tendons to me?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/possible-slipped-tendon.924226/page-3

 

[PasoRoblesEgger]

Here's another link. There is a search feature at the top of the page, it's a great tool.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/slipped-tendon.1367313/

Update us when you can.

 

[sforman]

Thank you for the help and info. I tried straightening out her legs and she didn't react, but I couldn't get them to straighten out all the way and there was no movable tendon to push back into place. The hocks felt bony and nothing wiggled, so either the tendon is already pinned by the swelling or it's something else, I think.

With the hobble on she can wobble around and go places, but she still can't stand. I've been giving her water from an eyedropper and she pecks a bit at food (she's still got her yolk.)

 

[moonsafari]

Thank you for the help and info. I tried straightening out her legs and she didn't react, but I couldn't get them to straighten out all the way and there was no movable tendon to push back into place. The hocks felt bony and nothing wiggled, so either the tendon is already pinned by the swelling or it's something else, I think.

With the hobble on she can wobble around and go places, but she still can't stand. I've been giving her water from an eyedropper and she pecks a bit at food (she's still got her yolk.)

I hope the best for your chick.

 

[sforman]

I'm sorry to report, the chick didn't make it. The hocks were deformed.

Thank you for the help.