Help! One chick paralyzed partially & another injured leg

[Eggcessive]

I still suspect that Rosie appears to have a varus deformity in her right leg. The tendon can weaken over time.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

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Ok great. She is getting a lot of vitamins( the packs have over riboflavin 400% so I’m adding it slowly) and I’ve added some new food. The Scratch and Peck, for a change of pace and to keep her entertained. We made her the sling and it works great. I am going to work on a bigger one that we can adjust as she grows. She is very alert, active, she just isn’t able to stand all the time on her own. Sometimes she is for awhile. I do agree that it is weird that out of four chicks and two ducklings, that two of them have leg issues. So we will be finding a new source for hens and have to do a very strict isolation period to ensure the flock starts healthy.

It is very frustrating and it’s hard to make sure everything is clean and that I am not mixing up anything for the hens or the other chicks. Because I don’t want to contaminate them or bring anything into their area.

Thank you again. I appreciate all the help. It’s been a very hard week. We lost a cat this week as well. So we are trying our best to keep the chicks happy and healthy! In good news it does look like Rosie is a pullet! I was checking out the forum on BY And she looks identical to the other Sicilian buttercup females. We had already dicusssed keeping everyone though even if they’re Roos. Lol.

The sling looks good! I hope that helps with May's recovery.

I'm sorry to hear about your cat You have had a rough week.
Thanks for the photos, please keep us posted.

 

[Momo1234]

I still suspect that Rosie appears to have a varus deformity in her right leg. The tendon can weaken over time.

That is so sad. She is my fav! oh course! lol. I checked out the splinting leg link. It may be too late to splint her leg? Also it doesn't straighten? So splinting her leg may cause more damage then good? What do you think?

 

[Momo1234]

The sling looks good! I hope that helps with May's recovery.

I'm sorry to hear about your cat You have had a rough week.
Thanks for the photos, please keep us posted.

I will keep everyone updated. Thank you again. The cat was a very unexpected loss. Fingers crossed maybe she will come back. I am hoping that May recovers in the next few weeks, because i would at least like her to be able to put her outside with the flock. However, I may need to have a separate area away from the adult hens for Rosie and May's safety. Because June, our Plymouth rock, is the top hen and she is BIG! I have the ducks in there, in a baby enclosure, but they need to be introduced soon. As well as the healthy chicks, need to start seeing the hens.

But maybe I should wait, just in case May does have Marek's, I don't want the 3 adult hens to get sick! This is more complicated than originally planned. lol

 

[Eggcessive]

I cannot tell you whether or not to splint, but if it is varus deformity, it won’t help. They sometimes can suffer from a ruptured tendon that may happen later. Sorry about your cat. I hope your chicks get better. Some of them can get around well enough with a handicap.

 

[Momo1234]

The sling looks good! I hope that helps with May's recovery.

I'm sorry to hear about your cat You have had a rough week.
Thanks for the photos, please keep us posted.

So I’ve brought Rosie in. Her foot is getting worse. Her knee is about the same but the limping and mobility of the foot is definitely worsening. She is now in her own plastic bin inside. I can’t straighten her leg and I don’t think she can either. So I’m not going to splint it. I am looking into doing something for her foot. Because she can barely put weight on it.

May is doing well. She is very alert and active and happy to see me when I approach. When will I know if she’s out of the worst of it? Will her paralysis go away? Or is she now going to be in the sling permanently.

Rosie keeps crying and I would like to put her with May. However, only if May is no longer contagious.

Thank you again.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry that Rosie is getting worse.

There is no way to know whether May is going to improve or not. IF the cause of her legs not working is Marek's then it's really 50/50. Some birds just suddenly seem to get better, while others remain the same only to decline as time goes by. The disease is very frustrating, since symptoms can come and go.

As for her being contagious - if she was with the others they have all been exposed, Marek's can remain in the environment for years. Birds can shed the virus through dust/dander, but if Rosie was living with her to begin with, then she's exposed.

You will have to do some decision making, but if they were mine, I would probably put them together so they have company. Even when sick, chickens still want to be together.

 

[Eggcessive]

I also would put the chicks back together for their own comfort. They are too young to have Mareks disease, so I would not worry about that. Mareks symptoms do no show up befor 3 weeks of age, and it is much more common for it to happen at several months of age. Slings can be helpful to get them in front of food, but I would let them try to get around and figure out how to move. Leg bone deformities are sad since most are permanent. Sorry that they are having problems.

 

[Momo1234]

I also would put the chicks back together for their own comfort. They are too young to have Mareks disease, so I would not worry about that. Mareks symptoms do no show up befor 3 weeks of age, and it is much more common for it to happen at several months of age. Slings can be helpful to get them in front of food, but I would let them try to get around and figure out how to move. Leg bone deformities are sad since most are permanent. Sorry that they are having problems.

Hi. We will be putting them together. It does look like Rosie has a slipped tendon because it is flat in the back. As well as she peeps a lot. I tried rocking it back into place but it may have been too long. I have been trying to stretch it out a bit to help her. But she is definitely exhibiting all the signs of a a slipped tendon https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...yone-ever-try-to-fix-this-experiences.879233/ from this post are almost identical.


May is perky as ever. Still growing and eating and pooping a ton! Lol.

I have started letting the adult hens, ducklings (who are huge) and the two healthy chicks together. So far a few minor pecks, but I’ve been watching and the pigs have been helping! Just not sure if we have pullets or roos.

 

[Eggcessive]

The little chicken in the link you listed probably has varus deformity. Many think these are slipped tendons, but varus or valgus (the opposite) are bone deformities. They may only occur in one leg, but when they occur in both legs, the legs can appear bowlegged (varus) or knock-kneed (valgus.)
You can look at this article for pictures:
https://www.researchgate.net/public..._of_the_Intertarsal_Joint_in_Broiler_Chickens