Help please- Chicken Bonding and Culling Question

[Pattymal]

We hatched our first ever chicks on the 15th so they are just over 1 week old. One has a bum leg.

I mistakenly thought it was "spraddle leg" and I hobbled her for a few days. The other chicks were pecking her so I moved her to her own brooder and put another chick in with her so she wouldn't be lonely and made them a little 'nest' to rest in. The one with the bum leg we named "Queenie" and the other chick we named Zipper.
Queenie's leg got worse, and I noticed she never put any weight on it. She was using her hock, which was swollen and developing a sore.
I felt like an idiot when I realized she did not have spraddle leg, but more likely a slipped tendon or possibly it was broken. Since then I've been applying antibacterial cream and wrapping the leg with self sticking tape. At first it seemed like this was helping but sadly, I noticed yesterday that her leg is now sticking out at an odd angle and the sore has gotten larger. She is still eating and drinking and hopping around as best she can. My kids call her "Happy Feet" because of the sounds she makes while she is getting around.

I have finally admitted that we probably need to cull her... (in hindsight, we probably should have done that right away)

To complicate things, I realized yesterday that everytime they are apart, her little friend Zipper is heartbroken. He freaks out and cries until they are reunited. Even when I put him in with the other chicks, he just goes over to the side of the brooder closest to her, and stands there calling out.
It all is just breaking my heart.

Do you think there is any hope?
If we end up having to cull her, can someone please tell me what is the most humane way?
I really don't know if I can do it.

At the same time, we just don't have the money to take her to the vet...

I feel so horrible and irresponsible.

 

[navywife22]

I am sorry to hear about your chick. I know how you feel. We hatched at the same time and I had one with leg problems. It just got worse. I didn't cull it. I took it to the vet and had it euthanised. It only cost me $20.00. I know that some will say we need to learn to do that, but I say I can do what I want.

I could never kill something with my own hands. That is just me. So, I really don't have answers for you. I just wanted to let you know that I know how you feel and good luck with your decision. Every post I have read about culling is to break it's neck or cut it's head off.

 

[tackyrama]

Hello, sorry about your prediciment. I had to cull a 3 day old chick yesterday for the same reason. There were too many eggs in the nest and it's leg was injured and malformed. I didn't notice it for 3 days cuz it was mostly under the mother. I used a sharp butcher knife. It was fast and clean. No more suffering for the poor little chick.

 

[chickbea]

Well, it's either cull or have her treated by a professional, as I think you have done all you can do yourself.
I can't do it myself either. I have my vet do the terrible deed and it is not very expensive. On one occasion when my vet was out on a call I had a neighbor do it for me.
I'm so sorry. It's easy for me to be dispassionate from afar but I know how agonizing it can be.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

The remaining friend will eventually make new friends and get along with the others. Sorry that you are sad, I know culling always makes me sad too, but we cull them because we love them.

I have an 8-wk Welsummer cockerel with a weak leg, but he still gets around, and a Sussex pullet with crooked outside toes, which do not slow her down at all. These little defects make them endearing because you can pick the birds out in the pen, but they are enough to mean they have to be removed from the "keepers" list. Isn't that sad? If they were more like everyone else in the pen they would have been safer, but not as enjoyable.

 

[Hazelnut]

If she is still eating and drinking then I would give her a bit more time. Maybe a splint would help. If you can't afford a vet to treat the injury, then maybe a local wildlife rehabilitator could help splint the leg if you explain your predicament. Maybe try craigslist. Often knowledgeable people are willing to help just because they care about animals. Worth a try I guess. Hope she gets better soon! (someone I know had a chicken missing a foot, and she never skipped a beat)

 

[tackyrama]

As a general statement I am going to say that malformed birds should be culled. I know it is a hard thing to do for some people but having pets or livestock makes us responsible for those animals. We are being irresponsible if we let those animals suffer. We might fool ourselves into thinking that we are being compasionate and caring but really just the opposite is true. Also it is not responsible to let those animals live to reproduce and pass on the suffering to future generations. If we cannot do the deed ourselves then find someone else to get it done. Humans are alone in nature to take care of diseased or sickly people. This is as it should be. Animals are another matter.

I know I will get jumped all over for saying this. This is what was taught to many previous generations of farm farm children. It is only when we get away from animal husbandry that we let our feelings get in the way of common sense. My opinion.

 

[Pattymal]

As a general statement I am going to say that malformed birds should be culled. I know it is a hard thing to do for some people but having pets or livestock makes us responsible for those animals. We are being irresponsible if we let those animals suffer.

Honestly, I happen to agree with the wisdom in your position. However, in this instance, these are not farm animals, these chicks were hatched as family pets. They were not purchased for breeding purposes, and we will not allow them to reproduce.
I am mostly just upset with myself for not thinking this through before leaping in-
Even though our finances are tight, I have decided to call an avian vet and see what, if anything, can be done for her at this point. If they recommend it, I will have her euthanized.
If they can save her, we have no problem with the idea of a one legged, indoor, pet chicken.
Truthfully, If finances weren't an issue, I would not have waited this long. I suppose if I had had more chicken experience, or if she had clearly been in pain or failing, it would have been easier to know what to do, but, as I didn't know what was wrong and she was still eating, drinking, and getting around, (and she still is!) I hesitated.

(Edited to add, I fully realize how ridiculous all this sounds to many on these forums! And we don't even know if Queenie is a girl, chances are I am struggling to save a rooster!)​

 

[Hazelnut]

Good luck with her, and keep us posted!

 

[Pattymal]

I also feel the need to explain that my youngest daughter has cerebral palsy, and wears a brace on her own "bum leg" in hopes that some of you who would have culled the chick immediately, can more fully understand why I hesitated...
We are taking her in at 3 pm today.