Totally new.. and loving our baby chicks.. but one is hurt....HELP!

[colesmommy]

OK, so my husband, my 6 yr old son and I have started on our chicken adventure.. and we are loving it! We have so far been doing really well and our chicks are 3 weeks old today! We do have 1 barred rock that started a few days ago with a limp, and a slightly swollen foot pad. Thinking it was bumblefoot, We gave her an isolated part of the broder box, (they have always had clean pine shaving bedding) seperate from the other with her own food and water, and treated her foot with this blue lotion from the farm store. She was able to limp to her food and water. Yesterday we noticed she is now not getting up hardly at all. When I checked her again today, her leg joint is swollen. I don't see the black spot that I was expecting to see with the bumblefoot.. it seems more like her leg.. but in my reading it still looks like the next phase of a staph infection. We have ordered Lincomycin, and we are waiting for it to come in....

Does anyone have any idea what this could be and what we should be doing... also, how much of this medicine should we give her, is there something better to give her... I read some people give asprin, but I don't think in this case this would apply. I would just hate to lose her, if there is anything I can do to save her... we are in a fairly urban area in NJ.. so we don't have any farm vets around... the farm store we go to is about 1.30 hours from us!

Any help would be just greatly appreciated!
thanks
tami

 

[colesmommy]

bump

 

[schellie69]

chick is to young for bumble foot which usually happens to older hens from the roost or jumping from a high spot on to wood or a rock. I am not sure on a chick if she is having this problem this young could have been something at hatch or maybe her leg was stepped on you could make a splint using Popsicle sticks and some vet wrap and see if that helps. I am sorry i am not much help hopefully some else will post you could change your title to say chick with hurt leg might grab someones attention. Good luck.

 

[colesmommy]

thank you!!! I will do that!

 

[crawfordmama]

I agree, I don't think your chickie has bumblefoot. I like schellie69's splint idea. She may have just been injured by a flockmate while playing or during a feeding frenzy (they eat like they've never seen food before!). I would keep an eye on it, but chances are it will go away with a little time.