Hoppy the one legged chick**1-18-08 Sad News to Share

[arlee453]

Spotted,

I can not get the leg to straighten at all - it's been contracted like that since hatching and I do not want to (obviously) apply too much force to the leg.

As far as separating, I just put Hoppy in a separate box for a few hours a day. The rest of the time he's back with the rest of the brood, which seems to make him much happier.

I don't want to separate him all the time as I don't want to deal with agression/reintroduction issues with the rest of them. Right now they don't seem to even notice Hoppy, which is great, so unless they start picking on him I want to keep them all together as much as I can.

My husband has already said "NO" to a house chicken...so Hoppy will have to go out with the rest of the flock when it is time and I want to make sure he's not targeted for aggression if at all possible!

Thanks for everyone's well wishes!

 

[arlee453]

Here's some pics from today for all you Hoppy Fans...

Hoppy is doing well, but is still MUCH smaller than the other chicks. Looking at the pics of them side by side really shows how much smaller she really is - of course Mr. Whitey IS the largest of the bunch, but still Hoppy is probably 1/3rd smaller than the next smallest. It's hard to believe they hatched out the same day!

Here's Hop standing beside Mr. Whitey who is laying down and Dusky who is standing.

Hop and Mr Whitey. Hop standing up is still not as tall as Mr Whitey laying down.

Hop and Mr Whitey standing up.

Hoppy gets one-on-one time with the feed and water several times a day. She still can't straighten out the leg or foot - if anything the leg is more contracted than ever.

But, she's starting to put the leg down and 'walk' on the ankle joint - sort of a lopsided hobble... It will help when they are old enough to go outside as she has less problems getting around on the ground than trying to shuffle through the pine litter in the brooder box.

I am still conflicted about not putting Hop down at birth when it was apparent the leg was contracted, but since I've kept her alive this long, I feel I now owe it to her to keep working with her. Basically all she needs is supportive care, and she can eat and drink on her own - just gets buffeted around a lot by the others still.

Sometimes Hop joins us for BYC Chat - she likes to hop across the keyboard when I'm typing and get her evil silkie message across to the world. Well, that's the latest Hoppy news!

 

[SpottedCrow]

Thanks for the update...she's really cute.

 

[picklespickles]

i love hoppy. best ever chiken. your mascot.

 

[seminolewind]

I'm glad she's starting to hobble on the other leg. Hopefully more food will help her catch up. Great news!

 

[unionwirewoman]

Don't know if this helps , but I have an RIR that at a month old started having issues with her leg . I tried everything I could to try to straighten it out , but it didn't work . She is now nine months old and her leg is bent sideways at a 90 degree angle . She is one of my best layers and is my biggest RIR . I do feel sorry for her but she gets along ok and is VERY stubborn ! I'm going through the same emotions though . I ask myself whether she is suffering or hurting , is it fair to keep them alive ? I still don't know . Everytime I look at her I feel sad but she seems happy . Good luck with the little one . I'm sure whatever you do , it will be out of kindness !

 

[tazcat70]

Quote:
I have a red rooster that is 12 weeks. I was told on here that what he has is probably a slipped tendon. His leg at the hock turns outward about a 90 degree angle as well. I had thought that I would cull him, but he is still getting in and out of the coop by himself. I have NO idea how he is getting in but every night he is in. I have a long ramp, the door is 3 ft off the ground. I watch him to see if he is in pain but so far he just looks ungainly, If he ever just starts sitting in one spot or I see signs of pain then I will put him out of his misery, but until then I figure he deserves to live. We just take it one day at a time.

HTH,
Tonya

 

[luvsmycritters]

i have the same problem with one of mine .her leg is totally twisted . but... shes doing great . she hops along and hangs out with the silkies. i had to seperate her from the other layers . she may not run like the rest of them but i don't think shes in alot of pain either . she doesn't appear to be stressed to me just walks funny . anyway good luck and happy holidays best wishes for hoppy

 

[ozark hen]

This is the first time I read about Hoppy and I am a fan of her/him now for sure. So cute..

please keep updates and photos coming. I think you did the right thing, keeping Hoppy separated just long enough for feeding. Good job.

 

[arlee453]

Just a Hoppy update since they moved out.

The silkies have been out for almost 2 weeks now. Hoppy is holding her own. She's still about 1/2 the size of the others but at least she gets around better on the ground than on the shavings in the brooder.

I've put extra food and water inside the coop on the ground so she can get to it easier. Problem is she never leaves the coop. It was such a nice day (70 degrees here) that I went out a bit ago and took her out of the coop and put her into the run so she can scratch around a bit.

Still don't know about my hoppy (shakes head) but at least she's coping well with the outdoors and the temps.