Deformed Chick - please help UPLOADED PICS!!!! *UPDATED* Should i cull

[kittykat2003uk]

Right hobbles have to stay on coz legs still splay but one leg at like the knee joint in pointing inwards help please someone how do i keep the knee out as it is right under his bum almost on the side of him

 

[kittykat2003uk]

Finally got card for camera here is a photo of the chick i have hobbled about knee and tied below but cant get the knee to stay pointing outward. Anyone know a better idea? Oh and his toes all point in but i thought sort that out later he falling over enough at the moment

 

[LilyD]

Quote:
I had one that's leg was similar to this. He injured his leg at 1 week old. We actually did take him to the vets and were told it was a dislocation of the joint and would get worse not better. We opted to cull him at 8 weeks because he was scrubbing his tummy on the bottom of the crate we had him in and seemed to be getting worse rather than better even though he was eating and drinking fine.

Sorry wish I had more hopeful news

 

[PoultryPedia]

Go to my website linked in my sig below for a lot of info that can help with treating spraddle leg.

The main thing that causes spraddle leg is raising chicks on slippery flooring, such as newspaper.

Hobbles should be put below the hocks instead of above. [Later note: I noticed now that you did have a string on the lower legs, as well. My apologies for not noticing earlier that this was something you were already doing.] Since your bird's legs have been the way they are for a while, you may need to make the middle section of the hobble extra long (as well as extra stiff, possibly) so its legs aren't twisted so much that it's very painful.

It looks like your bird at a minimum has a slipped tendon in its hock, or possibly a dislocated hock joint. Since it's been that way for a while, it's EXTREMELY likely the tendons & bones have deformed enough that you cannot put things back in their correct places. Any attempts to experiment with doing so would likely be unbearably painful for the chick. You likely will need to deal with a choice to cull the chick, because its deformities will get worse over time.

However, there may be a possibility that nothing actually got truly displaced & the legs have not become too far deformed yet. You could see if putting a hobble on below the hocks for a few days seems to help the legs turn to the correct positions.

I'm so sorry your little one is struggling with problems. It's good you've tried to help it this far.

 

[kittykat2003uk]

Thanks for replies.

I havve hobbled above knee with a stiff hobble to try and get the leg to turn out. Then i was going to hobble the bottom to stop the splay leg. This chick is turning into a nightmare but i aint one to give up thats my problem

 

[PoultryPedia]

If you have problems with tape sticking to the feathering on her upper legs, you can line the inside of just the sections of the tape that encircle her legs with a small piece of paper towel.

I used a foam leg brace before to help keep the upper legs apart on a pullet with similar problems. I also had leg hobbles on the lower part of her legs.

I have to say treating her was time-consuming to extreme excess, & some times it was quite painful for her. Tape sometimes chafed her a lot because it was hard to keep designing configurations that didn't cause that--especially as her leg shape & size & movement patterns changed--and it also hurt for her when I at times tried taping hobbles tighter to try to reshape bones (This is not something I now think you should try to do with a chick whose problems have gone on more than 10 or so days at the very most, because deformities are so solidified by that time that any such efforts are bound to bring only unsuccessful results, along with suffering).
I learned much working with her. In any future case like hers, I know I will cull much sooner than I did. However, I had many sweet times with her while caring for her & they were very precious to me.

There is a section on my website called "Foam Leg Brace" with a diagram of one, if you'd want to make one. There are also photos of the pullet wearing the brace, near the bottom of the page.

 

[kittykat2003uk]

Well now joined with the other problems this lil one has. instead of gizzard? being at fron of neck It looks like it is on the side. Big swollen bag the bottom of it is hard the top by the wing soft but there is fluid up under the wing too

I know i should put him or her down but i can't do it no matter how hard i try i keep saying to myself it got this far never know it might get better

 

[kittykat2003uk]

Updated pic of the chick... The whole leg is backwards

What do i do? Will any amount of foam bracing help i move the leg to where it is meant to be and the chicks squeaks abit? If someone thinks there is a chance i will keep at it if not should i cull. He was born 1st August so is nearly 5 weeks old

 

[sonew123]

oooh poor little peanut! I have dealt with spraddle leg a few times and I have a 50/50 rate of fixing the issue. At 5 weeks and the legs looking like that-I -personally-would cull. Can it stand? get to food and water without help?

 

[kittykat2003uk]

Its not so much spaddle leg but "conpletly the wrong way round leg". Can get around but has to flap like mad to get anywhere i just dunno what to do i never give up on anything but i dunno with this one