I need advice for a crippled chick

[Steve Townsend]

I have a problem. I am new to chickens and I have 16 who are 6 weeks old. All are healthy except 1 Dominique. She drags one leg and scoots around with the help of the other. The leg seems deformed but she makes it around OK. She needs help to get up the ramp to the coop. Should I put her down? She is so sweet. If so. What is the humane way to do it? Thanks.

 

[Eggcessive]

Could you post a picture of her standing? Videos through YouTube are also helpful. As I said in you other thread, I would try to find out what the problem is an give treatment a shot if possible. Start poultry vitamins in her water (they are fine for the others too,) in case of a vitamin deficiency. Some leg deformities get worse over time, but slipped tendon sometimes can be fixed by replacing it and using vet wrap. Here is a good site that has info about leg issues such as splay leg, slipped achilles tendon, and a link about slipped tendon:
https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/756556/slipped-tendon-splayed-leg-confused

 

[Steve Townsend]

Thank you so much. I'll try to get a photo.

 

[Steve Townsend]

Here's a photo of her Ill try to get a better one in the morning.

 

[Eggcessive]

I hope it's not Mareks disease. Many times one of the common postures is one leg forward, one leg backward when lying down. I believe that Mareks can show up between 3 an 25 weeks of age. Many diseases can mimic Mareks (see the 3rd link) so it is best to take time and fiqure out which disease or deficiency is causing the problem before doing something as drastic as to cull. Even with Mareks, chickens can live with it depending on the type. Just for your reading and not a diagnosis, here are some links to 3 good sources about Mareks disease: http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/502
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

 

[Steve Townsend]

That scares the heck out of me. I have all f my chicks vaccinated from Meyers Hatchery but I still fear it if one has it.

 

[Eggcessive]

That scares the heck out of me. I have all f my chicks vaccinated from Meyers Hatchery but I still fear it if one has it.

I wouldn't worry about it yet. Do you know if there have ever been chickens on your property in the last 7 years? The disease is said to last up to 7 years in the environment that has been contaminated by dander by a chicken with the disease. I got vaccinated chicks twice from Meyers and was happy with them. Once they are vaccinated at the hatchery, it takes 2-3 weeks for them to become fully immune to Mareks. As with any vaccine, there can be failure. Has your chick always had a problem with the leg, or has it developed recently? If it has always had this problem, but recently has worsened, it may be a birth defect. Injury to a nerve in the leg from an accident could also be a possibility. Testing is available at several universities--the Mareks Faq link has some info. If you decide to put the chick down, you may want to take her to the state vet where they can put her down and do a necropsy to look for Mareks. I really hope this is just a vitamin deficiency. Sometimes if riboflavin deficiency isn't treated right away with vitamins, the leg paralysis can be permanent.

 

[Eggcessive]

Has there been any improvement in her condition with giving vitamins?

 

[Steve Townsend]

I gave her vitamins and electrolytes but still no better. She gets around okay but still drags the leg. I am going to see what long term effect that and a lot of prayers do. Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

I really hope she has just a nerve problem from breaking or injuring her leg, instead of Mareks.