Leg joint out of place?

[Smileybans]

Got this chick from TSC with something wrong with its leg. I thought it was a slipped tendon at first but upon feeling it more it feels like the joint is out of place. Or at least not right. Now I could be wrong and it could be a slipped tendon still. That’s why I’m here. I want to try and help it. I will be making a chick chair if that will help it. Any other advice is welcome. If it comes to the point where the chick is listless or in too much pain I will cull it. But as of right now it seems to want to live. So I’m going to help it live. It can move both legs.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Looks like splay leg. Hopefully others will be able to help!

 

[Smileybans]

I tried the chick chair and she keeps jumping out of it. I had her feet touching the ground at first then moved the chair up so she wasn’t touching. She jumped out anyway. Anything else I can do to help her? She is very lively.

 

[Smileybans]

Here are more pictures. In case they help. The second one is why I thought it was having issues with the joint itself.

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

I would try a hobble of some kind. Just be sure to take it off/adjust it frequently because they grow pretty rapidly and you don't want to cut off circulation.

If they're moving both legs and not having a conniption fit if you move said leg, the joint is probably not out of place.

Edited because I missed an important word...

 

[Smileybans]

I would try a hobble of some kind. Just be sure to take it off/adjust it frequently because they grow pretty rapidly and you don't want to cut off circulation.

If they're moving both legs and having a conniption fit if you move said leg, the joint is probably not out of place.

You described it right. She is moving both legs and freaks out when i touch the leg. I only thought it was out of place because it stuck straight out from her body. Ive seen splayed leg before, and thought at first glance that’s what it was, but looking at her closer i wasnt sure. Then i looked at the pictures of a slipped tendon and her tendon looked to be in The right place. Then i really wasn’t sure what it could be. How would i go about hobbling her?

Right now I have the leg taped to her body so she can sleep. She is also sleeping in a sock taped to a cup. The start of another chick chair. She couldn’t sleep before since the leg stuck out so much it would get stuck in her waterer. I have the baby waterer in with her, the one with the really tiny lip, but she still was getting wet. She seems more comfortable with the leg tucked in but i assumed it wasn’t good for her muscle development. I only planned on leaving it over night.

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

You described it right. She is moving both legs and freaks out when i touch the leg. I only thought it was out of place because it stuck straight out from her body. Ive seen splayed leg before, and thought at first glance that’s what it was, but looking at her closer i wasnt sure. Then i looked at the pictures of a slipped tendon and her tendon looked to be in The right place. Then i really wasn’t sure what it could be. How would i go about hobbling her?

Right now I have the leg taped to her body so she can sleep. She is also sleeping in a sock taped to a cup. The start of another chick chair. She couldn’t sleep before since the leg stuck out so much it would get stuck in her waterer. I have the baby waterer in with her, the one with the really tiny lip, but she still was getting wet. She seems more comfortable with the leg tucked in but i assumed it wasn’t good for her muscle development. I only planned on leaving it over night.

Whoops! I missed a not in there. If they are acting like they are in pain, then it could be out of place. I'm not sure how to treat a slipped joint in a chicken :/

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

I know that usually you want to get it an out of place joint back into place, but that's probably vet territory cause if that's not the problem, you'd be doing more harm than good trying to set it.

Perhaps just splinting the leg might be enough? So they're not putting any strain on it while they're moving around.

 

[Smileybans]

I dont want to do more harm than good. That’s for sure. She is just a flaily chick. Even if I’m not touching the leg. If i touch her other leg she flaps her wings and tries to get away. But she can move the leg below her hock. It’s her thigh that doesn’t move. Unless i move it for her.

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

I dont want to do more harm than good. That’s for sure. She is just a flaily chick. Even if I’m not touching the leg. If i touch her other leg she flaps her wings and tries to get away. But she can move the leg below her hock. It’s her thigh that doesn’t move. Unless i move it for her.

They're keeping the thigh in the right position though, right? As in, it's not weirdly off to the side, jutting out from the body? Cause I've seen the latter in splay leg. If you don't want to hobble them you can try putting them in a small enclosure (like a small box large enough for them to keep out of their food and water but not so large that you can't keep it closish to the heat source safely) and line it with something that will give their feet a lot of traction. I've done this with washcloth/rough towels and put the food and water in the middle, leaving the walls bare so they could use them for support and scoot around the enclosure.