Hello,
I had a beautiful strawberry blonde BYM chick hatch yesterday who I suspect may have some kind of dwarfism, or some other condition that makes its legs very short. This is confusing me a bit since I read that most forms of dwarfism are not noticeable until the chick gets older. We have only full-sized chickens, besides 1 bantam hen who definitely did NOT lay this egg.
I did research on dwarfism in chickens and have ruled some things out. I do not believe it is Thyrogenous dwarfism as my chick is not exhibiting any of the other notable characteristics. The Wikipedia article for dwarfism in chickens states that it takes a few weeks to notice most forms of dwarfism in chickens. It was obvious immediately upon close observation of the chick that its legs are very short compared to all its siblings.
It almost seems like the "creeper" gene is at play here. I am no expert, but it seems to be mostly a bantam gene? The Wikipedia article about "creeper" chickens says that it is closely linked with the rose comb gene. We do have a few hens and a rooster with rose comb.
This chick cannot yet walk. I rigged up a little "wheelchair" out of cut paper plates that allows it to keep its body off the ground, and hopefully strengthen its leg muscles, but it doesn't seem to be able to move the "wheelchair" yet. I am remaining hopeful as this chick definitely has a strong will to live.
I have not found much information on how to best help chicks with very short legs. I am doing the best I can. I am not opposed to doing physical therapy, intensive if necessary, if it seems likely this chick could reach maturity. It seems that some forms of dwarfism are "semi-lethal" and it would be a real shame if the chick was definitely going to pass before maturity.
(I wish I could attach a picture, it's a long story, but my phone can't take pictures right now >.<)
So, do you all have any experience with a chick with this condition? Any insights on what is causing it? Do you think it has a fighting chance if it can learn how to walk? Do you have any advice for helping a chick with short legs learn how to strengthen them?
Thanks for your time and input!
I had a beautiful strawberry blonde BYM chick hatch yesterday who I suspect may have some kind of dwarfism, or some other condition that makes its legs very short. This is confusing me a bit since I read that most forms of dwarfism are not noticeable until the chick gets older. We have only full-sized chickens, besides 1 bantam hen who definitely did NOT lay this egg.
I did research on dwarfism in chickens and have ruled some things out. I do not believe it is Thyrogenous dwarfism as my chick is not exhibiting any of the other notable characteristics. The Wikipedia article for dwarfism in chickens states that it takes a few weeks to notice most forms of dwarfism in chickens. It was obvious immediately upon close observation of the chick that its legs are very short compared to all its siblings.
It almost seems like the "creeper" gene is at play here. I am no expert, but it seems to be mostly a bantam gene? The Wikipedia article about "creeper" chickens says that it is closely linked with the rose comb gene. We do have a few hens and a rooster with rose comb.
This chick cannot yet walk. I rigged up a little "wheelchair" out of cut paper plates that allows it to keep its body off the ground, and hopefully strengthen its leg muscles, but it doesn't seem to be able to move the "wheelchair" yet. I am remaining hopeful as this chick definitely has a strong will to live.
I have not found much information on how to best help chicks with very short legs. I am doing the best I can. I am not opposed to doing physical therapy, intensive if necessary, if it seems likely this chick could reach maturity. It seems that some forms of dwarfism are "semi-lethal" and it would be a real shame if the chick was definitely going to pass before maturity.
(I wish I could attach a picture, it's a long story, but my phone can't take pictures right now >.<)
So, do you all have any experience with a chick with this condition? Any insights on what is causing it? Do you think it has a fighting chance if it can learn how to walk? Do you have any advice for helping a chick with short legs learn how to strengthen them?
Thanks for your time and input!
