New chick with bad leg

yardbird40

In the Brooder
10 Years
Feb 22, 2009
13
2
22
Savannah Ga
I have Two chicks that are about 8 days old . When i was picking up my RIRs the owner asked if i wanted them and my wife said yes. I have them in a brooder by there self. They have one leg that will not go down. They look like they are going to high five someone. They hop around on one foot and eat and drink fine. They are not a big as the other ones but seem fine. Is there anything i can do about there leg.
 
Kind of your wife to take 2 chicks with defects as the seller can't really sell them, but now you have 2 chicks with a life long problem. Can't really know with out seeing/feeling the legs- but you might have chicks with birth defects or perhaps trauma close to hatch. Unlikely any thing you do will make them have a normally functioning leg.
If these are banties, they may do ok, but if they are heavy standards, the good leg will probably break down or have other weight bearing problem as they reach maturity. Single legged birds are much more prone to injuring the good foot and often get bumble foot. They also can't perch well, and will need to be provided with low perches, soft landing zones ect.
Despite the good sam nature of taking these little guys, you are likely taking on a long term project. I personally would cull if these are standard birds.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom