Limping baby - help!

[NewChiknMama]

Hey everyone! This is my first post here on BYC, but I've been through many threads in doing research for my chicks, so I thought I'd finally just join
My husband and I have 7 silkie chicks that we got 3 days ago (poor choice for our first chickens? TBD!) that we absolutely adore. We picked them up on Friday, and on Saturday morning, one of the chicks had a limp to her left leg. I didn't see anything discernible in the way of trauma or injury, and she was fine when I 'put them to bed' the night before. We separated her in the brooder by putting up a little cardboard barrier that runs the length of the container they were in, so that she could thermoregulate. We also put in her own feeder and waterer, as well as a soft washcloth for her to cuddle. Initially, she protested (loudly) so we tried to put one of the other chicks that she always palled around with, but ended up removing the other chick at the suggestion of another thread I found. This morning (Monday) I went to check her leg, after reading up on slipped Achilles tendons and other ailments, and found a little tiny area that seemed to be a wound draining, around her hock joint. I don't see any evidence of problems in her toes, and her tendon doesn't seem to be slipped. I pulled her out today and put her down on the normal floor, and she ran around like a champ! When I put her back into the brooder (pine shavings for bedding), she began limping again. We're getting frustrated at seeing her so uncomfortable, and feeling so helpless.
Other necessary information (?): they're being fed an unmedicated chick starter (Nutrena), and I added Nutri-dense supplement to their waterer today. Any other wisdom? Thanks so much!

 

[azygous]

From the sound of it, the limp could be from a pecking injury. If it was anything more serious, she wouldn't be able to run around as you described.

If there's an open, oozing sore, you need to wash it well with soapy water, and put an antibiotic ointment on it. If it is oozing still after that, and it happens to be pink or red, you need to use Blue-kote or Blue Lotion on it to protect and disguise it.

There really is no good reason why you should need to segregate the injured chick unless the others are picking on it. With the wound disguised by the Blue-kote, the other chicks shouldn't notice it. Chicks always do better when kept with their mates.

 

[NewChiknMama]

From the sound of it, the limp could be from a pecking injury. If it was anything more serious, she wouldn't be able to run around as you described.

If there's an open, oozing sore, you need to wash it well with soapy water, and put an antibiotic ointment on it. If it is oozing still after that, and it happens to be pink or red, you need to use Blue-kote or Blue Lotion on it to protect and disguise it.

There really is no good reason why you should need to segregate the injured chick unless the others are picking on it. With the wound disguised by the Blue-kote, the other chicks shouldn't notice it. Chicks always do better when kept with their mates.

Thanks! Do you have any recommendations for an appropriate antibiotic ointment? I've read that "-caine" drugs are toxic to chickens, and poultry medicine hasn't been discussed yet in school (I just finished my first year of veterinary school!).

Also, I separated her because the others were stepping on her and pushing her to get to the feeder, which she was laying next to, and I didn't want to exacerbate any injury. Probably okay to have them all together at this point as long as I tend to the little wound adequately? Thanks again!

 

[azygous]

Yaay! you're going to be your own avian vet! Awesome!

Just any triple antibiotic ointment will work just fine. Keep the wound clean. That's the challenge with chicken injuries. They don't need to get infected as long as you wash them each day until they heal.