runt of the flock; injured Leg/faint wheezing

[Aunt Angus]

the others dont really pick on him. he’s had that bald spot since day one. it dosnt seem like a cyst to me it looks like its the top of his thigh and only juts out when i hold the chicken and his legs push in. and he has a great appetite. did u notice how the foot is splayed out a bit? his wing also appears to be a little limp; i cant tell if he’s using it for balance or cant really control it. Is there anything i should be doing to help him recover? should i keep him in quarantine ?

No need to quarantine, I don't think, other than to maybe limit his movement.

And the leg thing didn't happen until after you put the perches in? A splayed leg could be a deformity, but it doesn't look all that bad to me. The wing is probably compensating for balance.

My Polish frizzle, Twiggy, has a much much much worse deformity. Her leg splays out at about a 90° angle. But she had hers since hatch (or shortly thereafter). She manages fine, but I won't be keeping her with the big flock because I don't want my roosters mounting her. But here's a recent photo. You can see her wonky right leg:

She hops, and her right wing droops because of her inability to balance well. But she's growing fine and loves chasing bugs. My vet recommended that I euthanize her. I'm glad I didn't! She has a fine quality of life. If, at some point, she deteriorates, then I'll consider that, as well as other options. But it seems wasteful to kill her if she's not in pain or miserable.

 

[Aunt Angus]

You might give him a B complex vitamin or a supplement like Poultry Cell. That can aid in leg development.

 

[bkint]

No need to quarantine, I don't think, other than to maybe limit his movement.

And the leg thing didn't happen until after you put the perches in? A splayed leg could be a deformity, but it doesn't look all that bad to me. The wing is probably compensating for balance.

My Polish frizzle, Twiggy, has a much much much worse deformity. Her leg splays out at about a 90° angle. But she had hers since hatch (or shortly thereafter). She manages fine, but I won't be keeping her with the big flock because I don't want my roosters mounting her. But here's a recent photo. You can see her wonky right leg:
View attachment 3183550

She hops, and her right wing droops because of her inability to balance well. But she's growing fine and loves chasing bugs. My vet recommended that I euthanize her. I'm glad I didn't! She has a fine quality of life. If, at some point, she deteriorates, then I'll consider that, as well as other options. But it seems wasteful to kill her if she's not in pain or miserable.

What a cool looking bird! Thanks so much for sharing. I completely agree it seems wasteful to kill if shes not in pain or misery. Thats kind of the same boat I am in. Ive attached a youtube video link of my bird so you can better see the situation. I have my bird quarantined just so its easier for its leg to heal if thats really the only problem. And I am also putting some vitamin b supplement in its water. sorry i keep editing this reply; yes i only noticed the leg injury the morning after i installed perches. I cannot observe them all day but the hours in the morning and afternoon I observed them the runt never really got picked on.

 

[Aunt Angus]

What a cool looking bird! Thanks so much for sharing. I completely agree it seems wasteful to kill if shes not in pain or misery. Thats kind of the same boat I am in. Ive attached a youtube video link of my bird so you can better see the situation. I have my bird quarantined just so its easier for its leg to heal if thats really the only problem. And I am also putting some vitamin b supplement in its water. sorry i keep editing this reply; yes i only noticed the leg injury the morning after i installed perches. I cannot observe them all day but the hours in the morning and afternoon I observed them the runt never really got picked on.

That video is helpful. It looks to me like it might be a deformity rather than an injury.

You said you can manipulate the leg ok and that it will move, right? Can you feel the achilles tendon that runs down the back of his leg? It should run down the back of his hock joint, too. If it's out if place, you should be able to feel it going to the right or left of the joint.

 

[bkint]

That video is helpful. It looks to me like it might be a deformity rather than an injury.

You said you can manipulate the leg ok and that it will move, right? Can you feel the achilles tendon that runs down the back of his leg? It should run down the back of his hock joint, too. If it's out if place, you should be able to feel it going to the right or left of the joint.

so the hock joint.begins where the feathers on the legs start? and goes up? I felt the good leg for comparison. i believe i could feel the achilles. feels like a small thread underneath the skin?. The good leg seemed ok.( i held the chicken off of the ground while inspecting) so both feet where hanging no resistance.
The good legs achilles seemed to be firm and running down a fairly straight line.
The bad leg feels like its following a very similar straight line but it does seem to curve inward toward the bird. also when i press my thumb and forefinger i can move it around; it has more play then the other tendon. It also feels like smaller strings underneath are moving around when i press with my finger. I can feel them moving around. But there is little if any resistance from the bird when i do this. And movement i detected from the bird in that leg was very faint. Do you need more information? I believe i located the tendons its just hard to tell because theyr beneath feathers. Thanks again for the reply