Chick's leg wont straighten

Well, I had some chicks hatch today. As we all know, anything and everything will eventually go wrong. With as many as I hatch I have had some interesting issues, but this one is a first. It was the second to hatch, and a day early. I know, temp is a bit warm. However, everyone else that hatched is just fine. This one chick (second one to hatch) is perfectly formed, but it's right leg will not straighten. It moves the foot and toes. It moves it's hip. It is like the knee is locked. I looked closely at it and tried to straighten it (obviously not very hard, didnt want to break anything more) and it has very little movement. When I do that it chirps a lot, so I am guessing it hurts. I am thinking I will most likely end up putting this one down.

The question is, has anyone seen this before and is there anything I can do to fix it?

I have had spraddle leg. Not that. I have had curled feet. Not that. I even had one that the legs went sideways. Not that. All those things I have been able to fix. All fixed chicks get eaten and not bred around here. So not genetic. All these chicks are from the same roo. It is like the knee is almost frozen.

Ideas?

Try cod liver oil. If there is a developmental problem, I find cod liver oil helps.

I also splint and boot and take corrective physical measures. But it sounds like maybe this guy was just born with a bad knee. It happens.

I had one hatch recently with his toes curled like fists. Did not straighten out. I taped him to little flat cardboard snowshoes for three days and it helped. But now they are curling again. I'm going to keep him. His feet don't seem to cause him distress. He just won't win no purdy contests.

Try liver oil and give it a few days to see if it resolves on its own. Good luck.

I've seen the locked knee joint thing twice; once in a chick and the other time was a keet. I tried numerous things on the keet from vitamin drops to daily leg exercises, but nothing made any difference. Both had to be put down.


eta: also wanted to add all the other chicks and keets from the hatch had no issues.

Is this a chick for breeding or for eating/eggs?

If it is for breeding, put it down.

Schipperkesue wrote:Is this a chick for breeding or for eating/eggs?

If it is for breeding, put it down.

I hatch a bunch every year and I have three different classifications of birds. Eating, general egg production, and breeding. This happens to be a pure RIR, but with the knee does not meet the breeding side. So, it would end up being either eating (male) or eggs (female). It was also the smallest of the hatch, so it would not qualify for breeding on that note either. If it is true that males are lighter then females, then it is a male. That is actually why I hatch so many. Only keep and bred the best. The extra hens up to a certain number I keep for selling eggs, and all roos and extra hens that cant keep up with my flock get eaten. So, it is not important to keep this one at all for breeding. Mater of fact, if it is a male, it would be eaten anyway.

Oh yes, and this breeding is from a totally unrelated roo. So inbreeding too closely is not the problem.

It is still alive today. DH wants to give it an chance too. As he put it, my favorite hen is a house hen (actually green house) because she lost a foot due to an injury (totally my fault, but I learned from it). She is sweet and will follow you anywhere. She has another hen just for company and the one without the foot is the boss. So I know that it isnt a death sentence per say as long as it can get around, eat, and drink on it's own. There in lies my issue. I do not know if it will be able to stand enough to eat and drink with it's siblings. None are too interested in food yet. They are only just 27 hours old.