Poult with a knee injury

[Coops Dad]

One of out Broad Breasted Bronze poults came up with a limp and I noticed its knee is swollen and the lower part of the leg is swept outward. Is this something I can repair or do I need to cull the poor little thing. It's coming onto three weeks old tomorrow.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Eggcessive]

I don’t know much about turkeys, but this looks like a leg bone deformity such as valgus deformity that has worsened with age, or a slipped tendon. Neither has much chance for recovery. Here is a link about leg bone deformities:
https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/leg-health-in-large-broilers

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a link about trying to diagnose and put a slipped tendon back in place:
https://www.chickenheavenonearth.co...u-can-do-to-help-chicken-heaven-on-earth.html

 

[Coops Dad]

Awesome, thanks! I'll see if it's a slipped tendon and try to manipulate it back into place. If not, I'll be down to 9 poults.

 

[Coops Dad]

Here is a link about trying to diagnose and put a slipped tendon back in place:
https://www.chickenheavenonearth.co...u-can-do-to-help-chicken-heaven-on-earth.html

Alright... it's not a slipped tendon. The poult has a slight limp and seems to bear weight ok, just seems to favor it a little. It runs, jumps up onto the roost branch (6"-8" off the floor), eats, drinks and poops normally and is right in the middle of its brooder mates as far as size is concerned.

I think I'm just going to monitor her for any changes or downward trends and maybe slate her for the first candidate for conversion from coop to table if she doesn't have any setbacks between now and then.

 

[Eggcessive]

That sounds like a good plan. I hope that she gets along well. In meat birds and some egg layers, leg bone deformities are common. As long as they can get to food and water, they can do fine. Sometimes, the hock tendon can become ruptured if the leg bone twists too much.

 

[Kiki]

One of out Broad Breasted Bronze poults came up with a limp and I noticed its knee is swollen and the lower part of the leg is swept outward. Is this something I can repair or do I need to cull the poor little thing. It's coming onto three weeks old tomorrow.

Thanks for any help!View attachment 2643609View attachment 2643610

Cull it.

 

[Coops Dad]

Cull it.

Did you read my latest update? She seems to get around fine, have just a little limp, eat, drink and such. Is there a reason to cull it now or wait to see if it degrades and cull it at that point? If she goes downhill later, she might be worth putting in the smoker at that point rather than cull-and-bury now.

 

[R2elk]

One of out Broad Breasted Bronze poults came up with a limp and I noticed its knee is swollen and the lower part of the leg is swept outward. Is this something I can repair or do I need to cull the poor little thing. It's coming onto three weeks old tomorrow.

Thanks for any help!View attachment 2643609View attachment 2643610

Slipped tendon aka perosis. Usually caused by failing to provide proper nutrition such as feeding chicken starter instead of a proper high protein turkey or game bird starter.

Looks to be a broad breasted bronze poult.

You can try doing a search for treatment for slipped tendon or perosis. If it is meant to be a pet, cull it now. If you mean it for food, you might be able to get it to grow big enough for processing but it is going to be in pain the whole time.

It is likely to only get worse as it gains weight.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would agree that the poult should have a chance to live, as long as it can get enough nutrition, and is not being picked on by others.

Leg bone deformities such as varus valgus deformity, tibial dyschondroplasia, or rotated tibia are very common in meat birds, and may be misdiagnosed as slipped tendon. Slipped tendon is usually more evident at hatch. Here are some good articles including good pictures of various deformities which usually cannot be treated:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579119479595

https://www.researchgate.net/public..._of_the_Intertarsal_Joint_in_Broiler_Chickens