Strange behavior following splayed foot injury. What should I do?

[constana]

I bought three chicks a little over three weeks ago. They've been great together until my Welsummer got splayed foot after slipping in a card board box because I didn't put any wood shavings for traction (rookie mistake). After much reading, I made several hobbles for her (I think the rubber band was the easiest) and her let seems to be doing better.
However, I did notice that the other birds (especially the Buckeye--not as much the Dominique) were picking on her and pecking her more so I separated them in the crate where they live. They can still see each other. The Welsummer has been depressed ever since: she looks sleepy or squinty, she is isolated from the other birds when I put them together outside or remove the divider, etc. Overall, she is not her normal self. The other two birds continue to run around together but the Welsummer is not among them anymore. I'm wondering if part of this is that her leg is too week to keep up. Also, she has this constant chirp that the others don't have.

Is she in pain? A friend who has had chickens for longer than me recommended to put her down if it seems like she's in a lot of pain. I know bullying is common with chickens and I don't know if her constant chirping is a sign of her being stressed, especially since it seems like she's cut off from the crowd now.

Please advise...

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post photos or a video of the chick?

Can she walk at all?
Constantly chirping - is she warm? How warm?
Could be too hot/too cold?
Is she eating/drinking on her own?

 

[constana]

She can walk and seems to be doing fine. She used to jump and fly more (she was the first to jump out of the brooder) but not any more.

I read about temperature being an issue, but I don't think it is because they haven't been crowding around the lamp or running to the shaded areas. None of the other chicks seem to be having problems with it. I moved the heat lamp closer to the brooder just in case she was cold (still left a spot with less direct heat so the other birds can retreat there, if needed).

You can hear the rapid chirping in the video below. None of the other birds have been chirping like this. I turned the heat lamp off so you can see more clearly.

Not sure if this matters, but when I separated the the Welsummer from the flock shortly after she hurt her leg (they could still see each other in the brooder), I went out and bought a Buff Orpington chick (~3 weeks age difference) so that the Welsummer could still have a friend in her side of the brooder. I'm not sure if that helped or hurt anything, but the BO chick ended up sneaking across the barrier (she could fit through the holes) to hang out with the others some of the time.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She's talking a lot. Is her crop emptying? What's her poop like?

She's a bit hunched and puffed up. She may be a little colder than the others, but since you mention she doesn't seem to be growing...I would watch her close, see if she's eating or just acting like she is.
Hard to know - I would almost treat her Coccidiosis because of that puffing up, her acting slower (lethargic?) If you do, then treat all the chicks.

 

[constana]

I'm not sure about her crop emptying. I have noticed on several occasions that her poop was different than the others (more black/white while the others was more brown).

She has eaten when I've watched her a couple times.

We have also noticed the ruffled feathers. Is it common/possible for chicks to get Coccidiosis with medicated feed? Is it possible that only one can get it or show symptoms but not the rest? It seems like the weight loss, lethargy, ruffled feathers, and depression could point to that.

Thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm not sure about her crop emptying. I have noticed on several occasions that her poop was different than the others (more black/white while the others was more brown).

She has eaten when I've watched her a couple times.

We have also noticed the ruffled feathers. Is it common/possible for chicks to get Coccidiosis with medicated feed? Is it possible that only one can get it or show symptoms but not the rest? It seems like the weight loss, lethargy, ruffled feathers, and depression could point to that.

Thanks!

Yes, it's possible for chicks to have an overload even on medicated feed.
If in the US and the medication is Amprolium, the feed has a very small amount in it.
Warm, moist brooders are a breeding ground for Coccidia, much less chicks do eat/taste of poop, so...yes it's very possible.

 

[constana]

Okay--So I got some Corrid (20% Amprolium) and mixed about 1/3 tsp. in a gallon and started giving it to them yesterday.

There's not really a huge change (I don't know how long it would take), so I started looking into your question about her crop emptying. It seemed that her crop (if I'm looking at the right thing) is bulging out more than it should, unless I caught her right after she fed. Some forums talk about removing the food at night and checking the crop again in the morning to see if it emptied out.

Does it look abnormal? Should I look into emptying her crop? Is this hard/complicated to do with a chick? She still looks as thin (maybe more so) and as ruffled as before.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Corid dosing is below.

Hard to tell about crops especially when holding them.
IF they have light 24/7 then gauging crop function can be tricky. Food really shouldn't be removed if chicks are under a light because they eat/drink all night.
You could check her crop, take out food and check again in a few hours. See if she's pooping too.

 

[constana]

So, I had to cull my bird yesterday. She was stumbling in the coop earlier in the day and then I found her later lying on the ground. I imagine it was exhaustion from being malnourished because her crop has been large for quite a long time. I called an avian vet a few weeks ago and they said it was either something she ate or could also be genetic.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry