Skewed, possibly dislocated leg

[QuackerMama]

Hello! I have a chick that's about a month and a half old now and he's got a twisted leg. We call him Scrooge. We think that perhaps he injured himself when he was younger and it never healed right. I can get photos of the poor thing tomorrow. Sometimes when he stands, it's like his twisted leg faces backwards. He gets around alright and can roost, but the other chicks wouldn't let him eat, so I have him in a separate pen alone for now so he can fatten up a bit before going back. Upon moving him to his new home, we noticed that a toe on the other foot is broken. We don't really know what to do for him, as has getting along fine besides being bullied, but the broken toe has me a little concerned. What can we do for him? Any suggestions?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sounds more like vitamin deficiencies. What are your feeding? What's the mill date?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a chick that's about a month and a half old now and he's got a twisted leg.

when he stands, it's like his twisted leg faces backwards

He gets around alright and can roost, but the other chicks wouldn't let him eat, so I have him in a separate pen alone for now so he can fatten up a bit before going back.

Photos would be helpful.

I'm going to make a guess from your description that he may have a leg bone deformity like Valgus Varus, twisted tibia or similar. With more info and photos, I may change my mind
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/twisted-leg.1224187/#post-19616582
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul.../noninfectious-skeletal-disorders-in-broilers
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1051/leg-health-in-large-broilers/

It's good that you separated him since he was not getting to eat. Sadly, a lot of times a chicken with a deformity will not be accepted into a flock. Are there other cockerels in the group? If so, it will be difficult to re-introduce him. If it's an all pullet group, then do it slowly using a see but don't touch method. Have multiple feed and water stations as well so he can (hopefully) get enough to eat/drink. Sometimes a bird that has a deformity may also have something else wrong internally and eventually fail to thrive.

 

[QuackerMama]

We just got a new bag of Purina all-flock feed for all of our birds, and no other chicks have shown a weird leg. He can still eat and drink normally, and I watched him walk around the pen and eat mulberries. He's just a little thin and... twisty. It's like when he puts all of his weight on his good leg, his bad leg straightens out and looks normal. But then as soon as he tries putting weight on the bad leg, it twists around and Scrooge rests on his chicken-elbow (I don't know the name for that). It's very strange to watch.

The pen he came from is our mixed flock, so there are pullets and cockerels in there together. They get along fine though, and hopefully with time, Scrooge can get bigger and stronger to defend himself if he has to.

 

[QuackerMama]

It does look like maybe what's in the first link. How sad... perhaps he can live on his own and be happy. I hope he's not in pain :/

 

[QuackerMama]

I got some photos of Scrooge.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Definitely looks like perosis. I personally would cull. That must be painful.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The pen he came from is our mixed flock, so there are pullets and cockerels in there together. They get along fine though, and hopefully with time, Scrooge can get bigger and stronger to defend himself if he has to.

Poor Scrooge
I agree with @oldhenlikesdogs I too would cull him.
As he gets older and heavier his legs will likely not support him at all. The leg is twisted backwards, so we can only assume it probably is painful. Chickens are very good at hiding pain and illness until they just can't continue.

Putting him back into a mix of pullets and cockerels that are going to be "coming of age" soon (the cockerels sooner than the pullets) is a recipe for further injury, bullying and possibly death for Scrooge. With his deformity, he likely will never be able to defend himself. They have already kept him from food and water, if he is re-introduced, that behavior will continue. Chickens are brutal to one another and especially the weak. That's just the way it is.

Just side note, depending on your space/housing and how many pullets to cockerel ratio you have, you may have more problems down the road as well. Do you have a plan in place if cockerels need to be separated?

 

[QuackerMama]

We just separated the cockerels from the pullets a couple of days ago. Scrooge has his own temporary pen, the cockerels are in what used to be the duck pen, and the ducks and girls are in the big pasture pen. Our cockerels and half of our pullets are scheduled to be butchered this Thursday, and I feel bad for asking, but would it be okay to use Scrooge as a meat bird in his condition? Would he be safe to eat? I feel so bad for the little guy. He's gotten worse since my last update.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We just separated the cockerels from the pullets a couple of days ago. Scrooge has his own temporary pen, the cockerels are in what used to be the duck pen, and the ducks and girls are in the big pasture pen. Our cockerels and half of our pullets are scheduled to be butchered this Thursday, and I feel bad for asking, but would it be okay to use Scrooge as a meat bird in his condition? Would he be safe to eat? I feel so bad for the little guy. He's gotten worse since my last update.

I'm so sorry

By getting worse, you mean his leg condition has worsened correct? He has been eating/drinking and shows no other signs of illness beside the legs(?)

Leg deformities are common in broiler/meat chickens, as far as I know, the leg/skeletal deformities do not disqualify a bird for processing. You would still examine the internal organs, etc. for signs of disease, but it should be fine.

I'm sure it's hard to think about putting him down, but I think you are doing the right thing. Even though things did not turn out exactly as planned, his life and the extra care that you provided did have a purpose - providing nourishment for your family.