Is there a way to help a chick with a broken leg? Happy pic update!

[mrsp523]

Wish I could be more helpful Zaxby. maybe someone else can jump in. Mine clearly was his achilles tendon which effected his hock joint. That why we did the stretching and rubbing, and then the splint. Good luck.

 

[Zaxby's2]

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Thanks, mine is a week old do you think his achilles tendon might have still affected him? Could a chick "pull a muscle" running from a dog?

 

[HenPenny]

I had three born with one leg crooked. The Turken is hopping along just fine. The other two I try to hobble and they just didn't make it. So I haven't tried any intervention with this one yet. He can't roost so the little Silkie stays on the floor at night withhim. Noone picks on him/her either. Sometimes they forget and run over him.

 

[Zaxby's2]

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Good luck!

 

[melbel]

Growing up, I found a chick at the local feedstore with a broken leg. Everyone said they should put him down, but the lady was kind enough to send her home with me and give her a chance. We splinted the leg with popsicle sticks and masking tape, and made her a working Lego wheelchair with a padded bed so she could push around with her good leg- no joke! The leg healed, but she was never able to bend it again (make sure you splint it properly, better then a 5 year old), but she lived to a ripe old age and gimped around happily the rest of her days. She never laid, and I had to tend to her religiously for the first couple months, teaching her to eat and drink around her funny leg, but after the initial injury she showed no signs of shock or discomfort. I guess the moral of my tale is it's worth giving her a chance, especially if there's a sweet kid around to nurse her back and provide her lots of love and stuffed animals

Life is precious, and through my experience I believe it would be a wonderful teaching tool for your child to see so much effort put into easing the poor thing's suffering and caring for her, even if she doesn't pull through.

 

[gregnlinda]

Little black chick sounds happy! We put our hen in a separate cage last night so we could watch her and really inspect her leg and foot. Again, no apparent sign of injury other than limping. So we decided to let her back with the flock after reading that simple sprains and strains would heal on their own but take longer to heal. I think the splint acts in the same way as for humans. It limits joint movement which in my mind at least, would reduce stress to the affected area. I'm just a beginner though, so I'd do as much research as you can to help you make your best choices for your situation. We will continue to check our hen, watching for signs of bumblefoot or any other potential ailments. Otherwise we'll let nature take it's course to heal on it's own. Our hen, like your chick, is happily eating, drinking and foraging with the flock. I suppose TLC, tender loving care, is doing your best, because you care! Good luck, hope you'll keep posting!

 

[Zaxby's2]

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Thanks! I really don't know what to do, for now we're just watching him. By now I'm starting to assume that it will heal on it's own. Will he be able to walk right or is he confined to limp forever?

 

[gregnlinda]

Love melbels post! Pretty much says it all! If you look for the good, you'll find it! Thanks melbel! It's encouraging to know that they can learn to adapt and continue to live a happy chicken life!

 

[gregnlinda]

Any pictures or instructions of how to make the working lego chair? I've read about chick chairs, but so far haven't seen any instructions or photos!

 

[gregnlinda]

I sure wish I could tell you he'd walk normally, but I don't know. I'm not sure anyone can tell you that for certainty. Perhaps a veterinarian could say with more accuracy. Either way, just knowing your doing your very best to help him I hope will bring you some peace of mind. And seeing him still happy and doing what baby chickens do, sounds like your on a right path!