injured, splayed leg in 3 day old chick

[llcardinale]

Hello Everyone,
So, I followed someone's advice and put wood shavings in the brooder after three days. I had been using puppy pads covered with paper towels. I was going to wait for a couple of weeks before adding shavings, but I was convinced that the chicks could end with splayed legs if I didn't use something more than paper towels. Two hours after having adding the shavings one of the chicks injured her right leg. All chicks were doing great before adding the shavings--seems her hips were not stable enough to manage walking on the uneven surface of shavings. I've read some articles online about making a sling and various things, but they don't seem realistic. She is not being picked on that I can see, she's no longer being trampled, and she is hobbling about to get to food and water, though I'm guessing it may not be enough of either to sustain her. I put two feeders and two waters, one on either side of the brooder for her accessibility. After it happened she was getting trampled so I placed her in another brooder, but she chirped so loudly and persistently that I feared the stress of separation would do her in. Any advice from anyone whose had any success with such injuries would be greatly appreciated.

 

[alinas2010]

Hello sorry to hear about your chick having issues. It’s good you separated her so she won’t get trampled. Can you put a gentle friend or two in the brooder with her so she doesn’t get lonely? You will need to ensure she is getting enough to eat and drink if you fear she isn’t. Perhaps she’d like some scrambled egg or chick feed soaked in water?

Leg injuries can be on the difficult side to treat. Sometimes all you can do is confine the chick to a smaller area so she doesn’t run around or hop sprint quite as much. Do you have pictures of the injured leg and how she is holding it? Perhaps we can offer suggestions once we see it.

 

[llcardinale]

Hello sorry to hear about your chick having issues. It’s good you separated her so she won’t get trampled. Can you put a gentle friend or two in the brooder with her so she doesn’t get lonely? You will need to ensure she is getting enough to eat and drink if you fear she isn’t. Perhaps she’d like some scrambled egg or chick feed soaked in water?

Leg injuries can be on the difficult side to treat. Sometimes all you can do is confine the chick to a smaller area so she doesn’t run around or hop sprint quite as much. Do you have pictures of the injured leg and how she is holding it? Perhaps we can offer suggestions once we see it.

Thank you for your response. I had followed the advice I found online and on this blog of placing a hobble around her legs. I did this, but then didn't feel that I quite got it right. So, I took her to my vet, who did the same thing, but I think better. Baby chick got significantly worse with her right leg trembling or spasming. She stopped drinking on her own, though she continued to eat. She would become exhausted after mobilizing how best she could in order to eat. She would then fall on her side and appear to pass out--respirations being very fast. So, I took her to my vet for another emergency appointment to have her euthanized. She offered to have me surrender her and admit her to their clinic program. Doc said they would do everything they could do with round-the-clock care to give her the best possible chance. Though they don't do much work with chicks/chickens, most everyone at the vet has, or has had, chickens (I live in the country on the US west coast), and one of the docs is a UC Davis orthopedic surgeon. If she survives, she said one of them will take her, probably the ortho vet who has a small flock. There was no way that I could provide the constant care she needed, nor do I have the expertise of the three vets at the vet hospital, so I think I did the best I could for her. Thanks again for your response.