Chick acting funny, possibly splayed leg?

We have a group of 11 chicks that are all close to the same age all in a pen together. This morning we noticed one acting a bit funny. When it would get up to walk it stands straight up almost like it is dragging its butt on the ground. It eats and poops normally. We picked it up and examined it and when I put it back down it walked normally. Then when my son picked it up again he heard a popping sound and it was walking funny again. We had a chick with splayed leg once and it would stand straight up trying to keep its balance sort of like this one but it was much worse. This one doesn't seem as bad as it does walk when it stands straight up and sometimes walks normally.
What is there we can do for the poor thing? I'm not sure of the exact age but I think this group of chicks is maybe 6 to 8 weeks old.

This picture is of it sitting on its hunches and was trying to walk. I picked it up and when I set it back down it could walk normally again.

This is a picture I took when I set it back down. I took the picture, then it took off running to the others.
By now it may be back on its rear or just laying down.

I'm not sure that it is splay legs--maybe a hip problem? I had one that kept collapsing forward--it would run then rest on its stomach...since it was out with a free-range broody I didn't think it could keep up--I brought it in and within a few days it was walking normally. I think the problem might be unstable hips which might improve with time.

I think you may be right. Not sure what may have caused it. She had been fine up until today so I'm wondering if maybe some of the heavier ones jumped down off their little roost and landed on her. I feel for the poor thing, she looks so funny trying to walk around when it is "out" or unstable.

Smedge would it be possible to isolate her for about a week, that Is quite a bit of time in the development of a small bird, and probably not being knocked around could be of great relief for her, I tend to think catscan is right, and if so a week could make a great difference. Good luck to you. Hay

We have her seperated now. We have narrowed the problem down to what my son calls the second knee joint. The chicken leg makes sort of an S shape from the pelvis to the sternum and then to the knee (which bends backwards from what ours does) and foot. The part at the sternum is what we have figured is causing her the problem. She was fine yesterday and last night when we locked them in their house. This morning my husband said he also noticed her acting funny when he let them out. We figure one of the heavier ones (that are probably roos) jumped down from the roost and landed on her. Poor thing wants to be with her buddies but I think she better stay a loner for a while.

If there is another gentle or smaller bird you could put in with her, it might help. They really hate being alone and usually do better with a pal. It also keeps them from being such a pariah when you reintroduce them to the group.

We have a pen next to the one she was in that has a mommy and 2 babies. We sectioned off an area of that for her. It was so funny, when we put her in there all the ones in the pen she was in came runnung trying to get in with her like they were saying, "hey where ya been, we missed you" it was too cute. At night we bring her in because we don't have a secure place to put her outside but during the day she will be right next to her buddies. All the smaller babies we have are still with mommies.

Awww... poor baby. How is she now? Does it seem to be getting any better? She is adorable. Wishing you the best.

So far still the same. She seems to get it knocked out when she lays down...odd. She can't ever seem to get it back in on her own although today once she did. Usually we just scoop her up in our hands where her little legs hang off each side of our hand and it just goes back in, then we set her back down. I feel so bad for her. At night she has to lay or squat when she sleeps so it tends to go out. We tried a sort of sling but she ends up getting herself out of it.
The picture is of her in her little sling. It was made from soft fleece fabric hung over a box. We stapled the fabric tight. A hole is cut out for her butt so when she pooped she wouldn't be sitting in it and then two holes for her legs. She just sort of hangs. She seemed to like it and would lay there and snooze but by morning she was out of it and under it.

I suppose there is a possiblity of Marek's...They do get very unsteady on their feet and usually one leg does not work well. In the beginning it seems rather sporadic and they do sometimes walk normally--but it is progressive and they usually die. The other chicks occasionally walk all over them and they die from that. The classic sign is when they rest with one leg out in front of them and one behind.

Does sound like Mereck's... that's sad... but common. One article said "If you have chickens, you have Mereck's" Some just succumb some don't.

I hope it's not. Good luck.

I really don't think that is what it is. We can literally feel her leg pop into place. She stands and walks fine when it is in place, eats drinks etc but as soon as she sits it pops back out and then she is unable to get it back in by herself.

Is it the "hip joint" that you suspect dislocates?

porkpal, it is the second knee joint, the joint that is close to the sternum. We looked up a chicken bone diagram and found the spot. We can feel it pop. When it is in she walks around pecking and can even stretch her leg back like chickens do but as soon as she gets bumped or sits she is out again.
We let her and her sister out in the yard the other day and she wandered around just fine, it was hard to tell which chick was which till she would get it popped out.

Oh dear, the hip would be easier to stabilize. Perhaps with exercise the joint will tighten up. Poor little girl!

What's bad is I think it is both legs. We keep putting her back in and she happily goes about pecking and then moves wrong and is walking like a pigeon again. I feel so bad for her and I really don't know what to do for her other than keep putting her legs back in place.

Is there any way to make a sort of wrap to hold the "hips" in place? Moxon uses soft fleece to make hobbles for splayed legs--it is stretchy and soft.

This message was edited Aug 11, 2009 11:46 PM

Hips could be held, but as I understand it this is the next lower joint, similar to our knee. Those would be hard to splint. You could try wrapping the whole chick above the lowest big joint (knee/ankle) but she might not be able to walk at all.

Could u put her knee in some sort of temporary splint.. kinda like they do for humans with weak knees? I'm guessing this has probably already been brought up but with the headache I have right now i'm not reading this very well. Put the splint on during the day then take it off at night maybe? idk.. idk much about chickens skeletal wise. Guess it would be good to study up on that. Neighbors just lost a chicken with two broken legs (due to dog attack) maybe if "we'd" better understood how to splint & care for her she might have not stressed so badly & lived.

I'm really starting to think we need a small livestock (namely geese, chicken, sheep & goat) vet here...

Because of the location of the problem it would be very hard to splint. Not really sure how to help her. I know she is in pain, I can see it. Poor little thing, she tries so hard.

It is upsetting just to read about it. I don't know anything that hurts as much as not being able to help the helpless. I know this, the more it pops out the harder it becomes to keep it in. as the popping in and out wears down the sockett. Maybe it would be more humane to put her down. I hate saying that but its so hard to watch them suffer. Haystack