Help raising defected chick

[MrsJones79]

Hi, I was at the feed store today, and I worker there asked me if I could take a chicken home (I’m there pretty regularly so she recognized me ). Turns our it is a Cornish cross, and the problem is she has 1 1/2 legs! The other chicks were pecking at her, and the worker was worried she wouldn’t make it through the night. How could I say no?!
I’m in the middle of raising some new chicks and ducklings now. My question is has anyone else raised a deformed chick before? If so can you give me any pointers. I added pictures below. Thanks so much

 

[Fishkeeper]

I'm going to be honest; it may not be worth trying to keep that little one alive. If it was another breed, I'd tell you to look into chicken wheelchairs. But it's a cornish X, so it's a ticking time bomb. You'll have to be extremely careful not to let it grow so fast its one working leg will break under it, and a part of the way you keep cornish X chickens healthy long enough is by giving them a way to be super active. I'm not sure a chicken can be super active in a wheelchair. Mobile, yes. Active, no. You'd have to figure out a way to restrict her feed so she couldn't eat too much, which would be hard to do if you kept her with other birds- other birds should have food available at all times. You really shouldn't keep her alone, either. I'm not even sure there's a good way to figure out exactly how much to feed a growing chicken so it'll be able to grow properly without over-growing.
And even if she manages to survive growing up, she's not going to live long. Cornish X are extremely prone to heart and general organ issues, and will die much younger than other chickens.
I think I'd be inclined to spoil her rotten for a couple of days, give her as many treats as you can, and then euthanize her. She's too likely to suffer otherwise.

 

[Eggcessive]

A lot depends on whether or not she can get around to get food and water. Apparently, those are very sweet birds, but they are meant to be butchered after 6-8 weeks. They are prone to leg deformities and broken legs, and can have weak hearts. So, it would be up to you to try and save the little chick. Since they tend to sit around and eat a lot, when she is older, she may need to be fed a limited diet. Many chickens suffer from frostbitten toes or even lose all toes or a foot, and can get around just fine. Whatever you do is fine, but just be aware that she may not live a long life.

 

[MrsJones79]

Thank you for being considerate. I have done tons of research and I know they won’t live as long. I have her on food for egg layers so it will help her grow slower. She’s already all over the place hoping back and forth. I’m going to put her out with my other chicks, but I’ll put up a barrier in between them so she doesn’t get hurt. At least she can see everyone and then hopefully one day be able to join them without being picked on. Thanks again

 

[Fishkeeper]

DON'T give a baby chick egg layer food! It has far too much calcium. She needs to be on a baby chick feed.

 

[MrsJones79]

Sorry I think I said that wrong. I am feeding her chick food. When she gets bigger and starts laying eggs I’ll switch her the egg layer food instead of food for meat chickens. Less protein so she’ll grow slower and it won’t put as much pressure on her heart and other organs.