limping baby chick free ranging

[goldeneggtees]

we have four 20 day old chicks hatched by our broody who are free ranging in our 1/4 acre yard all day. yesterday when i came home from work, we noticed the mom had gotten inside our fenced in garden. chicks must have been stuck on the outside. anyway, one of the chicks is limping pretty badly, i looked and did see a little blood kinda at the top on the leg where they start to feather. nothing else appears wrong, no swelling that i can see.

is there anything i can do for the little one? it seems to be getting around fairly well apart from the limp. i wonder if one of the big girls attacked it while momma was stuck inside our veggie garden?

 

[L0rraine]

Not sure what to recommend. I know my ducklings and ducks have recovered relatively quickly when they have had hurt legs. Hopefully it will improve as the day progresses.

 

[goldeneggtees]

thanks, it's been like this since i got home from work yesterday at like 5:30, and it's still limping pretty badly. I wonder if it got stuck somewhere and had to work to get free and hurt it's leg that way. poor little guy or girl.

 

[macmama]

Update? The same thing is wrong with my 2-day-old Brahma chick-- she's limping, and I can see some raw skin on the top of her leg... so I'm hoping your chick pulled through and mine will too. She's still eating and drinking, but I'm a little worried.

 

[goldeneggtees]

hi, 2 days and she was fine. she even went on to escape under my neighbors fence, proceeded to be attacked by a dog and is once again fine 1 week later. she must be a tough one. hope your chickie is ok. they can get into and under and through so many things and places. it's hard to imagine them not getting injured.

 

[macmama]

I hope mine does as well-- but she's only 2 days old so we'll see. It looks like her down was all plucked out on her upper leg, and she's still hobbling out to eat and drink, but otherwise just resting in the nest. I figure there's not really anything I could do for her that she's not doing for herself, so I'm just going to leave her with her mama and let nature take its course. I already prepared my little girls, so now I guess we just wait.

 

[macmama]

Well I thought for sure I would wake up to a dead chick this morning, but she looks a little better. Still hopping around on one foot, but she looks more alert and is eating, drinking, and following mama around. Trying not to get my hopes up... but the chick is one of only 2 Brahmas I have, and I'm really hoping at least one survives and is a pullet!

 

[goldeneggtees]

I really hope she makes it, poor little one. I'm hoping all four of our hatched chicks are pullets - what are the chances of that!??

 

[pgpoultry]

Chicks are tough, and I have had a number of limpers in each batch I have had due to one reason and another (Free range so plenty of scope to injure)
Always thoroughly clean any wound, covering any open wound to prevent flies from laying eggs in the hot weather.
They almost always recover, but can limp for a week or two,
Brahmas cochins etc., due to leg feathers seem particularly prone.
Sandie

 

[macmama]

She's still limping. but her raw skin looks much better now and she has no problem getting food and water and staying with the other chicks. It's looking good! It's funny-- she's the tiniest chick of all 9 but she's going to dwarf them all in a few months.

I know what you mean-- I can only keep pullets. We hatched out 5 SLW, and then added 4 day-olds to the group (which my broody accepted with no problem) I am SO hoping for at least one female of each kind... but we only got 2 Delawares and 2 Lt. Brahmas, so if I'm unlucky I could end up with 4 roosters. I'm all for cheerful denial though... so they'll be Daisy, Lilly, Hazel, and Clover until they start crowing.