Possible sprained leg on a baby chick

[justsajida]

I noticed my about a month old chick was limping. She kept wincing and lifting her left leg. She just sits now. Im not sure what to do. there seems to be something jutting out where her leg joint is.
so far I've kept her isolated with food and water.
i read somewhere about baby aspirin but im afraid to give her since she is really small.

i need help asap. im very worried.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I noticed my about a month old chick was limping. She kept wincing and lifting her left leg. She just sits now. Im not sure what to do. there seems to be something jutting out where her leg joint is.
so far I've kept her isolated with food and water.
i read somewhere about baby aspirin but im afraid to give her since she is really small.

i need help asap. im very worried.

Welcome To BYC!
I'm sorry to hear about your chick.
Can you post some photos of her and the leg? You mention there is something jutting out where the joint is, if you can get photos of that it would be good too.

Hopefully the photos will shed some light on the problem and we can make some suggestions.

 

[justsajida]

she jumped from a high place if this helps diagnose her. the yellow bits are from an antibacterial cream.

i circled the part i think is jutting out on the diagram.

her skin isnt red. but it hurts her when we touch it or she puts weight on it.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

she jumped from a high place if this helps diagnose her. the yellow bits are from an antibacterial cream.

i circled the part i think is jutting out on the diagram.

her skin isnt red. but it hurts her when we touch it or she puts weight on it.

Oh dear! Poor little thing

If I had to guess, it's dislocated. I'm not sure how you would fix that. A vet may be able to help you with that, but let's see if @coach723 @Eggcessive or @WVduckchick may have some suggestions.

The antibacterial cream - did you put that on to try to help soothe the leg or was the skin broken in that area too?

 

[justsajida]

Oh dear! Poor little thing

If I had to guess, it's dislocated. I'm not sure how you would fix that. A vet may be able to help you with that, but let's see if @coach723 @Eggcessive or @WVduckchick may have some suggestions.

The antibacterial cream - did you put that on to try to help soothe the leg or was the skin broken in that area too?

no skin was broken. but precautions sake i used a little. the vet near me doesnt deal with chickens and he make terrible jokes about putting her down. i wouldnt know how to put it back into place i feel so helpless

 

[Wyorp Rock]

no skin was broken. but precautions sake i used a little. the vet near me doesnt deal with chickens and he make terrible jokes about putting her down. i wouldnt know how to put it back into place i feel so helpless

I'm so sorry
I'm afraid, I don't know how to put it back into place either! Hopefully the others will chime in soon.

 

[coach723]

If you have access to an avian vet that would be best. Dislocations often will not stay put if put back in place and there is the possibility of bone or nerve damage either from the original injury or from manipulating it. And with it being so small, I really don't know if surgery would be an option. For this, if it's an option for you, I think a trip would be worth the travel if you can find an avian vet that will see it. I'm so sorry this happened.

This has info on dislocations if you can decipher the medical jargon.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01652176.2014.905731

 

[WVduckchick]

If the chick is a month old, and you don’t see any broken skin, and can confirm that no individual bones are broken, the joint is possible to reset into position.

I’d try this:

Here's what I would try if it were mine. Hold your left hand out, palm up, fingers toward the right, in front of your chest. Lay the chick's belly in your left hand, feet pointing back toward your body, overhanging your pinky finger/palm. Grasp the feet and legs between your right thumb and forefinger. Slowly lower your left hand (kinda bowling ball or lawn-dart starting motion) and let the bird dangle for just a few seconds. Twist your wrist outward, and the bird's reaction should be to lift its head/chest/body upward toward your hand. (keep your hand under, but not touching, and don't drop her! lol) When it does, you can re-grab the body. This will sometimes "reset" a slipped hip or knee joint. It won't hurt the bird, and I would think its worth a try.

 

[Eggcessive]

Would it be possible to get any pictures of the chick standing or being held up to stand, either from the front or the back to see how the legs are normally extended? I really am not experienced with leg problems, but injuries can be common, and some chicks are born with leg bone deformities of one leg or both. Did the chick seem to walk normally up till now?

 

[justsajida]

I’d try this:[/QUOTE]

If the chick is a month old, and you don’t see any broken skin, and can confirm that no individual bones are broken, the joint is possible to reset into position.

I’d try this:

i tried it. im not too sure im doing it correctly. is there a video i could reference? just to make sure i do it correctly. she is so little im afraid i might hurt her.