"Disabled" Chick

[kneit099]

So this is our second round of hatching eggs and the second time is going much better than the first!

However, one of the birds that hatched yesterday is clearly, disabled. It can't stand on it's own two feet. I'm assuming that it didn't develop properly

I'm still new to this but what do you do since they will never be "good" and "healthy" birds??

Thanks in advance.

 

[sourland]

I generally give a chick 36 to 48 hours (depending upon the nature of the problem) to see whether or not the problem resolves.

 

[bakerjw]

Is it splay legged? I had my first splay legged chick a year ago. They can be helped with a strip of a band aid between the legs.

 

[kneit099]

It's definitely not splayed leg-I actually had to go and look that up!

I didn't think to get a picture before I left for work this morning but the legs are bowed out (don't go straight) and the feet are curled up.....
poor thing slides on it's tummy to move cause it can't stand!

 

[Citrus17]

Hiya
i don't mean to intrude on this thread but i have a button quail chick the same, it's toes are curled and one of it's legs are completely the wrond way. It shuffles along with it's good leg but it's almost like the other one is dead, although i know it isn't because it moves it. I really am worried about it and it's only a day old too. How long will it last and is it suffering? It seems to be getting along fine with the other chicks with an occasional peck at his feet. He's eating and drinking too.

Citrus17

 

[MMB53]

I had 2 like this also. I now give all my hatchlings Save-A-Chick or electrolytes in all their water from 1st day for several weeks and haven't had any since. Hope your little one recovers.

 

[rbaker0345]

I had a chick like this with the curled toes, I thought that it couldn't use the leg, so I brought it to my avian vet to be put to sleep and she gave me some Physical therapy exercises to do with a pen. She told me to hold the chick on its back, curl its toes around a pencil (both feet, I had to curl its toes around the pencil myself at first) and push in. This causes the chick to reflexively push back and it stretches the tendons which are contracted. It worked well, then I had the kitten with the same problem and the exercises worked for her too (except I used my finger instead of a pencil since kitty paws are a very different shape than chickie feet)

 

[Citrus17]

Thanks for everyones advice! I've been investigating and it turns out that the one leg is dislocated so it's got itself a little cast of bandaid tape, i've done it so that the two legs are attached to each other at a distance so that it can still walk, because the chick is only 2in it was tricky but it looks much better already! So i'll keep everyone updated to let you know if it works after being attached for a week or so.
Thanks again for all the help,
Krystal aka Citrus17 x