PHOTO-Chick born yesterday with gimpy leg/foot HELP!

[BikerBabeRules]

This little guy (ameracauna I think?) was born with his leg bent up like this and his foot seems to have no nerves. It drags and dangles. I have pulled his leg out straight and opened his toes up with my fingers, but when i let go, they just go limp and he pulls it up under him. He hops around on one foot and has a sore on the elbow of his bad leg. What can be done? He's the one on the right. Born on day 19. His sibling has fuzzy legs, how come he doesn't? I believe they hatched from green shells.

 

[Break an Egg]

See if you can take a regular sized band aid and fold it over the toes so they can be straightened. It may help him walk on it. Besides that, I'm not really sure, let's just hope he grows out of it.

 

[LinckHillPoultry]

Try taping around each toe. Maybe snap a popsicle stick in half until you get it the length of that leg and tape it around it. Even if nothing works and nothing can be done about that leg he should be okay. He can survive with the use of one foot.

 

[Berynn]

I had a turkey that was a few days old that had both legs and toes like that. The bandaid did not work. I tried a bendy straw and each day it got worse. It started getting blisters on its hocks from trying to wlk. It drown in its water dish today. Hopefully with your chick having one good leg you may be able to help it better. I told my daughter yesterday to put the chick down. She refused.

 

[fallenweeble]

poor baby!
i too would try the splint.
keep an eye on the sore on his leg - it could get infected.
he may adapt as he grows or he may not.
good luck with your little ones.

 

[FrontPorchIndiana]

While we were raising chicks when I was a kid my Dad always said these poor little guys had to be culled. He said the bird might be able to learn to live with one leg, but will most likely be picked on by the others terribly. I'd try to splint it, but if that doesn't get him walking I'm afraid it might be more humane to put him down.

 

[petlove]

On another post someone suggested using a straw as a splint, with the bent part at the elbow. Maybe that and taping the toes apart.

 

[amaliayosa]

I had this problem with a quail once. I used medical tape, one strip on the top, one on the bottom,(foot sandwiched between.) kept it on only 1 day and it fixed itself.