Week old chick, leg issues

[Sharkie]

So, our "problem nugget" as the kids call her had very weak legs on hatch, there was an immediate notice about how she got around opposed to other chicks we've hatched. She wouldn't use anything below her hocks and hobbled around everywhere. She was second to hatch, first to pip. She was pipped for 27 hours before she hatched, though her 'sister' pipped and hatched within an hour. We've taken to calling her Luna, since she's a black/white Minorca mix.

Originally, we'd made her a chick chair and hobble brace, as well as giving her two drops of poly vi sol without iron every day. We had feed and water attached to her chair and she would eat and drink on her own. We saw improvement, we were carefully doing physical therapy and all was going really well until suddenly, yesterday, she was unable to bend her right leg in to a certain point, and refuses to bend it at all on her own. If we take her out of her chair she constantly distress cheeps and flails herself around, wings and legs kicking.

Is there anything more we can do for her? Is there anything we did wrong?
We don't want to cull her, and are okay with having an indoor chicken- but I don't want her to be in pain

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is she. Do you have any pictures of her legs or of her standing? I am sorry about your chick. It is frustrating when they cannot walk normally. Are you still treating with vitamins? There are leg bone deformities that can get worse with growing. Some are varus or valgus deformity, twisted tibia, and may affect only leg or both. Many deformities are from a vitamins or mineral deficiency in the parents. I would be tempted to let her try to get around more on her own to see if she can get food and water, and do some physical therapy on her legs. Of course, if her flock is no longer used to her, she may get hurt or attacked. There are a few helpful sites for leg problems:
https://sites.google.com/a/larsencreek.com/chicken-orthopedics/
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul.../noninfectious-skeletal-disorders-in-broilers
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1051/leg-health-in-large-broilers/

 

[muddy75]

it is in our nature to separate and cottle the weak ones but Chicks are a flock animal and sometimes do better when left in their group. I chose to leave my little guy with minimal intervention and while he remains smaller than the others, he has learned to accommodate for his “handicap”. every time i check on my little flock, he has a full crop and today he was drinking without having to climb up on the water stand to reach! i am thankful to the wise ones here like eggcessive and my hubby for encouraging me to let him live like a chicken! I would try reintegrating your chick with his brooder mates and see how he does before everyone gets too big

 

[Sharkie]

Im out on errands right now but I'll be sure to get pictures for you when I get back home. To answer your questions; Shes exactly one week old today, and we are still giving her vitamins, yes. We have her in a seperate brooder now as the other chicks were bullying her quite harshly when we tried introducing. When we had her in her chair they were in the same brooder but separated by some half-inch chicken wire, hoping they would still remain familiar with eachother.
She was eating and drinking on her own in the brooder when we left this morning.

Ill read up on those links as soon as I'm home, thank you very much for your responce!

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are some threads about Cleopatra, a rooster that has a leg bone deformity, first thought to be a slipped tendon, but appears to be varus deformity, who seems to get along okay with his handicap:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rooster-chick-with-weird-leg.978353/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...yone-ever-try-to-fix-this-experiences.879233/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ster-egger-who-walks-like-an-egyptian.881786/

 

[Sharkie]

(I'm stuck on mobile due to a PC failure, so please let me know if something didn't go through right ^^" )


Here are some pictures of her, I wasn't able to get one of her standing still, since she kinda flops and wobbles around, but I can try to get a video if you want.

This sore is new, I actually hadn't seen it until I took these pictures, and ive been checking out her hocks every morning lately so I'm a bit surprised this one got by me. Her brooder is lined with soft fabric ontop of paper towels that I replace and clean on the regular, for the record.

V This is how her leg is positioned 'naturally' V

^ This is how she prefers to sit ^

 

[muddy75]

this is my little hoppy. the first pic is around 1 week when he was still holding that leg up most of the time or sitting back on the hock. 2nd pic is today at 4 weeks....he is putting the foot down but still not really using it except for balance and to propel himself on the other foot so to speak. Final pic shows him next to brooder mate to see how the leg issue has affected his growth compared to his brooder mates. i estimate about a 2 week delay in growth and development as a result. hope that helps a bit to see another chick with similar defect.

 

[Eggcessive]

Well, it almost looked a bit splayed in the beginning. But it looks pretty severe. These types of leg deformities are usually not treatable, but here is a link to try and fix it if it is a slipped tendon:
https://www.chickenheavenonearth.co...u-can-do-to-help-chicken-heaven-on-earth.html

 

[Sharkie]

A slipped tendon was our first thought, but after a lot of study, her tendons are in the right place and functional, she can move and bend her leg, we fear it might be a hip issue with how she carries herself. I'll try to get a couple of my more docile chicks to hang out with her so she isn't lonely, but is there any way I can tell if shes hurting or not?