Please help my chick with a bad leg/foot

[kittyacid]

I checked her this morning and she seems the same. I held her upside down and when I touched her foot it did not react, like she did not have feeling in it. The other one seems fine. She is still trying to hold it up and flailing about. If she is holding the foot up, will the bandaid shoe help?

 

[kittyacid]

Anyone know?

 

[horsejody]

Does she possibly have a slipped tendon in her hock? Check the joint. Is it swollen? If she is hopping on one foot, that is much better than if she is walking on her hock and inflaming her joint.

 

[kittyacid]

It looks about the same size as the other one. If she is injured, putting a boot on her would be a mistake, correct?

 

[horsejody]

When she puts her foot down, is it flat or does she stand on curled toes. When mine have had curled toes or slipped tendons the walked on their hocks. Hopping on one foot possibly indicates something else. BTW birds can live a pretty normal life with one good leg to hop on.

 

[kittyacid]

She holds it up almost all the time, but when she is resting and it is relaxed, the toes are still loosely curled. Telling me that they can do okay on one foot has made me feel so much better. She is feisty, but does rest a lot more than the other chicks - she is separated from them so they don't step on her. I don't see her eaing much, but she is pooping some, so she must be.

 

[ChooksChick]

It may be that she's got some unknown injury n her leg- I had one like that earlier this year- she's totally normal now.

Maybe read this thread and see if any of it seems helpful. By FAR the most important thing I think I did was to feed her baby parrot food by hand- this made certain she got all the necessary nutrition (and then some, because they LOVE it and will eat tons!) and thus had plenty of energy to heal and grow strong. You must make sure she's eating *well* and staying hydrated.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=149517

Best of luck- I'll keep looking for updates- I'd hold off on the shoe until she's putting weight on it.

 

[kittyacid]

Thanks..........off to Petsmart for baby parrot food......fingers are crossed!!!

 

[horsejody]

Grab some children's polyvisol (without iron) too. It is good for nutritional deficiencies that cause or contribute to leg problems.

 

[kittyacid]

Yes, I am giving that to her twice a day. You people are great - you give me hope!

Back from Petsmart and I got a little of the baby bird food in her and a lot on me. Chicks are not as easy to feed as baby birds! She seems seem perky, so that is good.