splay leg or broken? or something else? more pictures added!

[sugarjax06]

This little girl came home from the feed store with us since they didn't know what to do with her. I thought it was splay/spraddle legs at first so she has had the band-aid between her legs for the last 2 weeks. She gets around ok with the band-aid but when I take it off, that one leg slips out and she flaps her wing to make up for it. To me it looks more broken or something else since it kinda angles out to the side.

Any advice?

Thanks!
Shalane

 

[sugarjax06]

I know it is not an emergency but maybe someone has had experience with something similar. I won't mind if she is always a bit wobbly but I don't know about having to make a homemade giant band-aid for an adult chicken.

 

[Imp]

Gosh, you didn't get an answer for a long time, or yet. Sorry.

I have no expertise in bird leg injury, but they doesn't seem like a broken leg to me. I would think it would be more limp/useless if it was broken.
As far as the bandaids you can use other things for the hobbles.

No real help, but posting so I can find this thread tomorrow. It is rather late so more help might not be forthcoming tonight. BYC can get very quiet at night.

http://www.poultryhelp.com/spraddle.html

good luck
Imp

 

[aubreynoramarie]

heres what my chick looked like when she broke her leg. it broke at the knee joint and healed itself that way. it was never really limp, and she still bends the toes, she just cant walk on it because if the angle of the foot. the vet said there was nothing i could do for it. i think yours looks different, but if the bandaid isnt working then maybe not spraddle leg either?

does the chick hop around alright on the one foot?

 

[sugarjax06]

She doesn't stand on it like the chick in the picture. If I take the tape off she looks like this:

I'm pretty convinced it is not spraddle/splay leg but I'm leaning for towards slipped Achilles tendon now

 

[sugarjax06]

Anyone?

 

[Anianna]

If she came that way from the store and didn't happen after you got her, it may be that she has a birth deformity. You may need to come up with something more permanent that works like the tape so she can get around long-term if you intend to keep her.

 

[crawfordmama]

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. Check out this site: https://sites.google.com/a/larsencreek.com/chicken-orthopedics/leg-braces

I lost a chick today due to a slipped tendon. I truly hope that's not what your chick has.

 

[sugarjax06]

She did come that way from the store - they gave her to me for free since they didn't know what to do with her. She was laying flat initially so I thought it was spraddle legs and that I could fix it pretty easily.

I kinda tried the 'popping' it back in place maneuver for the tendon but I didn't see anything happen and I'm scared I would just snap her little leg if I tug too hard. I hoping to have some kind of fix for her since she gets around fine with the band-aid and well enough without it that she is able to eat and drink and not get smashed by the other chicks.

Maybe someone has tendon experience that knows what it would feel like if it were to pop back in place.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

its definitely not a slipped tendon. if it were, the toes would be curled in towards the body