Help! New chick can’t straighten leg ?

[Obsessed With Silkies]

That looks like slipped tendon unfortunately. Here's some videos I found helpful when I had to go about that. Do you have to self-adhesive bandage or medical tape to wrap it back into place once you have the tendon set right?

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

@ChickenTenderKesha, @Smithde83, @awelstad, how is everyone's slipped tendon chicks doing?

 

[MilkFarmChickens]

I had wrapped the chicks legs last night after maneuvering the tendon into the right spot on the left leg and attempted to extend the right leg as much as possible
View attachment 3458167View attachment 3458168View attachment 3458169View attachment 3458170

I’m terrified that it’s not just a slipped tendon with how the leg turns outwards more than the right leg had up near the femur/thigh and how the toes curl significantly more than they did on the other foot? This is what the legs look like now compared to the first photo of them..
View attachment 3458172
Should that be enough time for the left leg to be in the right spot or should I be worried it’s not properly set yet and rewrap it?

I also am not able to get the chick to stay in a sling .. it didn’t seem to be necessary with the first leg bc I have it set up in the legs of a teddy bear so it’s not sitting on its legs or laying with its legs just backwards on its belly/neck.

I am wondering how long you immobilized this chick for… and how you were able to set it up on a teddy bear.

I have one that looks exactly like yours and I’ve not been able to get it to keep the hobbles on. I’m super afraid it’s going to end up dying because I can’t fix it.

When I hobble it, the leg bends and stays bent again. When I splint the leg it gets around better but then ends up in the splits after a while. It HATES being immobilized but I have got to try and save this poor little thing. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

I am wondering how long you immobilized this chick for… and how you were able to set it up on a teddy bear.

I have one that looks exactly like yours and I’ve not been able to get it to keep the hobbles on. I’m super afraid it’s going to end up dying because I can’t fix it.

When I hobble it, the leg bends and stays bent again. When I splint the leg it gets around better but then ends up in the splits after a while. It HATES being immobilized but I have got to try and save this poor little thing. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Do you have pictures of the leg problem and splint?

 

[MilkFarmChickens]

Do you have pictures of the leg problem and splint?

Not sure if you’re able to see this video but I think it shows it pretty well. I’ll add photos in case the video won’t show. This is when I put the hobbles on, because it was doing the splits with just the “splint” aka brace, to hold its leg straight.

I’m wondering if I should splint AND put the hobbles on and immobilize it for a day. Or if it’s too far gone… it’s starting to get a sore spot on the leg and I’ve read that the bone can end up wearing through if you can’t get it fixed in time and I really don’t want the poor thing to suffer (I’d rather cull it if that’s the most humane for the bird).

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0c2iTjuJI1NS_4c3Hm3hy1p-A#Tracy

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

Not sure if you’re able to see this video but I think it shows it pretty well. I’ll add photos in case the video won’t show. This is when I put the hobbles on, because it was doing the splits with just the “splint” aka brace, to hold its leg straight.

I’m wondering if I should splint AND put the hobbles on and immobilize it for a day. Or if it’s too far gone… it’s starting to get a sore spot on the leg and I’ve read that the bone can end up wearing through if you can’t get it fixed in time and I really don’t want the poor thing to suffer (I’d rather cull it if that’s the most humane for the bird).

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0c2iTjuJI1NS_4c3Hm3hy1p-A#Tracy

Okay I think you need to try a different splint. Do you have a small hair band? You don't want it to be too loose or too tight. Here's a pic of one I made from a hairband and you just slip it on their legs. I think you might have done the band-aid too high that may be why it's immobilized. Having the band will help it get around a little better. Let me know how it goes!

 

[ChickenTenderKesha]

@ChickenTenderKesha, @Smithde83, @awelstad, how is everyone's slipped tendon chicks doing?

Unfortunately my chick had to be put down last weekend as even though I had managed to fix the one leg something else had been happening with its development besides the slipped tendon and it went down on its hocks again. The continued slipped tendon leg was large but not as large as any of the photos that were being shown of slipped tendons and I had been able to move the tendon closer but I had been unsuccessful with getting that bad one in place.

With the “good” leg the chick ended up having that leg rotate causing the chick to be unable to properly straighten or put weight on the leg at all. I’ll attach some photos to see what I mean by it rotating.

These first two photos are what I had come home to one day after work when that morning the chick was at a good point being able to stand on it’s good leg.

The chick thrived and fought for two and a half weeks old before I noticed a severe decline in quality of life as the chick was being unable to get to and from the water appropriately (even in a tiny controlled environment) as they were unable to maintain proper balance after the leg had finally made the fully 180° rotation, which is what these photos are showing, where the leg had seemed to then stop rotating. It also seemed like it affected the hip and upper leg bones greatly as the chick was unable to stretch or bend that leg much (even assisted) where the other leg had better mobility..

I am wondering how long you immobilized this chick for… and how you were able to set it up on a teddy bear.

I have one that looks exactly like yours and I’ve not been able to get it to keep the hobbles on. I’m super afraid it’s going to end up dying because I can’t fix it.

When I hobble it, the leg bends and stays bent again. When I splint the leg it gets around better but then ends up in the splits after a while. It HATES being immobilized but I have got to try and save this poor little thing. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Not sure if you’re able to see this video but I think it shows it pretty well. I’ll add photos in case the video won’t show. This is when I put the hobbles on, because it was doing the splits with just the “splint” aka brace, to hold its leg straight.

I’m wondering if I should splint AND put the hobbles on and immobilize it for a day. Or if it’s too far gone… it’s starting to get a sore spot on the leg and I’ve read that the bone can end up wearing through if you can’t get it fixed in time and I really don’t want the poor thing to suffer (I’d rather cull it if that’s the most humane for the bird).

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0c2iTjuJI1NS_4c3Hm3hy1p-A#Tracy

Are you positive it’s a slipped tendon and not splay/spraddle leg by chance? Are you able to get a picture of the bad leg from the back with the legs clear of the hobbles/splint?
Something like this

I’ve come to the conclusion, with posts on here being my biggest reference, that slipped tendons are a very difficult and time consuming issue to treat on a chick. They require a lot of attention and time to get the wrap just right and that it stays in the proper spot. Not to mention the immobilization and thus having to make sure the chick has adequate temperature and enough food and water constantly.

What I’m trying to say is that if it’s truly is a slipped tendon and you don’t have the time or means to support the chick through the healing process (which I’m not too sure how long that even takes now unfortunately with what my chick went through) then it’s most likely better to cull.

THAT BEING SAID !!!

I’m not telling you NOT to try but I would look at some of my other posts where I shared some links for slipped tendons on here. YouTube also has great videos for helping identify a slipped tendon in a chick and thus how to treat it.

I never actually fully restrained my chick with the teddy bear by having straps or anything holding it in, I just wedged the chick in between the legs and hoped for the best (with a soft enough landing provided if they did happen to get wiggly and flip out or something ).
I was never able to make a proper sling for the chick to sit in as it just wiggles out constant or even a proper box set up as we burn our cardboard rather frequently when we do have any.

I do hope you are able to provide the best for your chick and I do deeply apologize but I am unsure if I am a great help or if what I said was useful but I am rooting for you and your little one

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

Unfortunately my chick had to be put down last weekend as even though I had managed to fix the one leg something else had been happening with its development besides the slipped tendon and it went down on its hocks again. The continued slipped tendon leg was large but not as large as any of the photos that were being shown of slipped tendons and I had been able to move the tendon closer but I had been unsuccessful with getting that bad one in place.

With the “good” leg the chick ended up having that leg rotate causing the chick to be unable to properly straighten or put weight on the leg at all. I’ll attach some photos to see what I mean by it rotating.

These first two photos are what I had come home to one day after work when that morning the chick was at a good point being able to stand on it’s good leg.
View attachment 3486647View attachment 3486648
The chick thrived and fought for two and a half weeks old before I noticed a severe decline in quality of life as the chick was being unable to get to and from the water appropriately (even in a tiny controlled environment) as they were unable to maintain proper balance after the leg had finally made the fully 180° rotation, which is what these photos are showing, where the leg had seemed to then stop rotating. It also seemed like it affected the hip and upper leg bones greatly as the chick was unable to stretch or bend that leg much (even assisted) where the other leg had better mobility..
View attachment 3486649View attachment 3486651



Are you positive it’s a slipped tendon and not splay/spraddle leg by chance? Are you able to get a picture of the bad leg from the back with the legs clear of the hobbles/splint?
Something like this View attachment 3486702

I’ve come to the conclusion, with posts on here being my biggest reference, that slipped tendons are a very difficult and time consuming issue to treat on a chick. They require a lot of attention and time to get the wrap just right and that it stays in the proper spot. Not to mention the immobilization and thus having to make sure the chick has adequate temperature and enough food and water constantly.

What I’m trying to say is that if it’s truly is a slipped tendon and you don’t have the time or means to support the chick through the healing process (which I’m not too sure how long that even takes now unfortunately with what my chick went through) then it’s most likely better to cull.

THAT BEING SAID !!!

I’m not telling you NOT to try but I would look at some of my other posts where I shared some links for slipped tendons on here. YouTube also has great videos for helping identify a slipped tendon in a chick and thus how to treat it.

I never actually fully restrained my chick with the teddy bear by having straps or anything holding it in, I just wedged the chick in between the legs and hoped for the best (with a soft enough landing provided if they did happen to get wiggly and flip out or something ).
I was never able to make a proper sling for the chick to sit in as it just wiggles out constant or even a proper box set up as we burn our cardboard rather frequently when we do have any.

I do hope you are able to provide the best for your chick and I do deeply apologize but I am unsure if I am a great help or if what I said was useful but I am rooting for you and your little one

Sorry to hear that. I can't believe how much that chicks leg was able to rotate! Slipped tendon chicks are difficult to treat and are time consuming but for me I can't do nothing without at least trying. I had a chick that had slipped tendon last year and that was my first time dealing with it. I was the most stressed I had been in my life because I didn't know what to do. I finally was able to get some self-adhesive tape and wrap its leg. Unfortunately it passed not too long later. Sometimes I think of all the things I might have done better but I keep reminding myself I did the best that I could and that's all that matters. Now I'm using that experience to hopefully save other chicks.