Need help deciding what to do with a baby chick with skeletal issues

[pnuts]

thank you so much for all your help everyone. i'm going to sleep on it and decide whats best tomorrow.
I was hanging out with him a little while ago and i just started sobbing thinking about actually having to cull him i think i will probably have to get someone else to do it.

 

[dgeter]

My vote is most definitely to give him a chance!! You'd be completely amazed at how tough chickens are! I have two handicap chickens and I love them to death. They are super sweet and they bond to you because of all the special care they get. One of my chickens has completely deformed feet and she has to kinda hobble on her "knees" to get around. She's smaller than the rest of the chickens and she does get picked on sometimes but she's very tough and she always fights back. The other chickens are learning to not pick on her now.

So the question is whether or not you have the time, not whether or not the baby will live. As a youngster he'll require more time now but the older he gets and the more adjusted he gets, he should need less time.

Another question is about your flock. How big is your flock? Are they fairly mild or do you have less-friendly birds? I have a smaller flock and they're all mild mannered silkies.

If your flock is large and less-friendly, you'll have to watch him very closely to see how he is doing. If he's being picked on too much then you'll have to find another solution. From time to time I've brought chickens into the house to live for awhile when they're not feeling well or having trouble.

I keep them in a modified rabbit hutch which you can see here:

If you put the little guy in here by himself make sure you put in a stuffed animal in the cage and spend lots of time with him. When my Silkies were chicks I carried them around one at a time in my coat. They loved it and now as adults they still try to fit under my coat

So anyway, I vote to let the baby live. Too bad you aren't in Colorado, Id take put him in my flock if you didnt want to keep him

 

[pnuts]

aww you are so great

my flock is pretty mild mannered except for a big barred rock named lando who likes to pick on everyone (even the rooster lol)
she isn't bloodthirsty or anything though so maybe it would be ok..

knowing that you have one that hobbles around on its knees and is ok gives me hope i have a mirror in with mort right now and i'll find a little stuffed animal for him too.

i will give mort more time. i can spare it for that little goober

 

[dgeter]

Yay! I think he'll do great as long as he can eat and drink okay. All he needs is a little love

My other handicap chicken has a rod in her leg. She got it caught in a fence and broken. Then after getting the rod she get attacked by a fox and had to get a lot of stitches in her neck. And as far as chickens being tough, my rooster is currently recovering from maggots that started eating at him in the crease of his leg and they ate through him all the way to his head.. these type of maggots find and kill their host in 12 hours. The only way I knew something was wrong was because he didnt come out to greet me like he always does. Any other animal would have died already but I was able to get him to the vet in time and he's getting his stitches taken out on Wednesday

This is him. I think you've got the perfect candidate for a new chicken buddy!

 

[pnuts]

I found a big stuffed bat and put it in with mort. i put him under one of its wings and he cuddled right up and went to sleep

you are seriously the most amazing chicken owner ever! its so awesome that you care enough about your chickens to get them help like that i dont think i have ever heard of a chicken that has had a rod in its leg or even stitches.

your rooster is so beautiful! i have a silkie rooster named carl but hes nowhere near as dapper as that fellow i'm glad hes doing better (those maggots sound terrifying) and once again you are amazing!

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

I had one similar, worse even. I tried everything. She steadily lost weight despite my feeding her several times a day to supplement what she was getting on her own. (She appeared to be eating just fine, but obviously wasn't because she was way behind the others in weight). I ordered a special ointment recommended on here and massaged her neck throughout the day for weeks. I really tried to give her a chance. It became clear to me that she was not thriving despite all my efforts. Fortunate for me the owner of the local feed store said he could "do the deed" if need be. He raises meaties so I knew he would be quick about it. Her condition worsened as she got older. I think the best thing is to cull. It will be easier on you and on the chick if you do it now rather than later. So sorry.

 

[pnuts]

hmm... i def need to sleep on this.
i'm so sorry about your baby they do look like mine for sure.

 

[reveriereptile]

I had a baby goose that hatched and was in the egg to long so we had to help it. The poor thing had its neck the same way. Must of been from being in the shell to long. It kept trying to go in circles and couldn't drink or eat on its own so we decided it was best to cull it. It looked and acted healthy other than having a bent neck. I felt bad for it especially since we didn't have much luck with our goose eggs. My FIL will usually take the bird by the back legs and hit its head off the concrete and it kills the bird instantly. This one however he couldn't do that cause of the way the neck was but he had those thick heavy barn books and he did a few quick stomps. It was dead within the first stomp but he did the just incase ones. It may sound disturbing but I watched him do it and the bird didn't know what was happening and was over with in a second. I have read someone on here that put a chick in a bag and backed over it with a car since they had a hard time culling a bird.

 

[ZooMummzy]

I am so sorry your baby...and you...are having to go through this. I am probably in the minority, but I would give the little one a chance. However, I do know first hand how much work special needs chickens can be - I have 6 of them - all ages, all doing well and living great lives, just altered a bit to fit their needs. It all depends on how much you are willing to give to this little one. It can be done as long as they continue to thrive. Just my two cents.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Wry neck....

Try getting some Polyvisol drops...it usually works wonders...