Raising a gimp

[mandelyn]

1 of the 4 babies has splay leg on one leg. I tried to fix it with the bandaid method, no dice. All that did was pull the good leg under the chick closer to the other leg, no affect on the bad leg.

But now, on day 4, this little chick can get around, eat and drink, and stand on one leg and do a sort of scoot method of getting around. We've named it Kick Stand since it's made itself known as a survivor. Earns a name in my book. She (looks female to me) flits around like the others and acts perfectly fine.

I'm going to call around to some bird vets to see if anyone can do anything better for her. I'm unsure on her long term abilities. I've never had a chick like this... never splay leg in just one limb. Out of large hatches of like 40 eggs, there's usually one and it didn't make it. Never seen it in a small batch like this.

But little Kick Stand seems to have a will to live, so I'll do what I can for her.

 

[artsyrobin]

that is great- give her her chance- often they don't know they have a problem- i have a young guinea like that- so he and his buddy are inside guineas, being raised like you would a parrot- only both of his legs are bad, so he is named scooter- love the 'kickstand' name!

 

[WYOwhy]

My Io is a little gimpy - see her club foot in my avatar. Not a splayed leg, but still a slight gimp. She's now about 6 weeks old and doing well. She prefers a wider roost but is otherwise I've not needed to make any major accommodations. I hope your Kickstand will continue to thrive. Good luck to you!

 

[mandelyn]

Well I called the bird vet that had been recommended to me, and they'll see her next week. Which was surprising... I was expecting "No chickens treated here... just parrots". I wonder if they'll be able to do anything?

 

[Turkeyrangler]

they grow so fast at that age that by next week it may be a little late. here is a page that might help. I recommend that foam leg brace thing. Easy enough to do at home.


http://sites.google.com/a/larsencreek.com/chicken-orthopedics/

 

[BloominOrchid]

I have a gimp too, we call her hop along

She is now almost 4 months old.
Yes she is smaller than her hatch mates BUT she eats drinks poops and gets around just fine!
I tried all the fixes, even made her a cast out of vet wrap and Popsicle sticks. No luck still splayed.
But shes still kicking and no one picks on her so she will live out her days here

 

[artsyrobin]

it really depends on how old they are, my scooter was about 3 weeks old when i found him at the feed store, the worst leg had already set backwards, the only thing i can figure is he got it twisted in the wire and wrenched himself free- the feedstore gave him to me cuz they figured they couldn't sell him, i tried a few different things, but since he was older there wasn't much i could do short of surgery- so he lives in the house with his friend flash- i hope your little one is able to be helped- most animals don't know they are 'special needs'

 

[ChickyD]

I got this adorable little frizzle chick for free because it has an injury to it's leg. Do you think this is genetic or an injury?Do you think the little guy/gal will be alright? My first time having a chick with this problem but I couldn't just leave it with the bigger chicks trampling him/her Here are a few pictures .

 

[Sumatra503]

I had a gimp a few years ago. Her name was Gimpy. she got stuck to the membrane while she hatched and sislocated her leg as she ratated in the egg. One of her legs stuck straight out. She was the tamest chicken ever and would follow me around everywhere. She was a seabright and hing out with her little OEG friend. She had to be raised in her own sebarate brooder with a carpet in the bottom, so she could get enough grip to walk. She passed away when a large plywood sheet fell on her. she was a very excellant friend and I miss her dearly.

That looks like curled toe paralasis or curly toe to me. This can lead to a splayed leg. It could also be due to an injury. Sometimes when a leg is injured like that it can cause the toes to curl in order to compensate. Also could have been a protien deficiency.

If the chick is moving around fine i would say she will due alright. She may need special care and accomidations. That is exacly how Gimpy looked.

Is she able to walk at least a little bit? And is she eating, drinking, ect.?

 

[deerman]

I Have fixed chicks like that.

take 3 zip ties(wire ties) place one on each leg ,3rd one to hold the two together. like 3 rings hooked together