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Hippie Chick

Chick with Broken Knee...

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A friend has contacted me to ask how well a chicken would fare when it has hatched with 'a broken knee'.  

First thing - I have already said it needs a vet or avian expert to look at it.  I am going to say it again as it's a legal responsibility not something to be debated by the school... yes, it's a school hatching project 🤬 and I imagine most of us, if not all of us, feel the same way about those.  The chick is said to be a couple of days old.  I assume it can stand and move around, I think she would have said if not.  I also guess she hasn't seen it and has only just found out this evening otherwise she'd have swooped and dealt with the vet/expert herself.

But, my friend has been approached to look after the chick and give it a home and is willing to do so but wants to know what to expect and how the chicken will be impacted, so can we just discuss that aspect please as she's fact finding right now.  Not that I have a lot to go on, other than it hatched with a suspected broken knee.  My friend has kept chickens before, so has chicken keeping experience and is set up to take the chick on.  She has nothing to do with the hatching project other than someone knows her and wants her to take the chick rather than send it back to the farm so it has a better chance, the farm is agreeable to this.  Personally I think it's more likely to be a deformity than a break but maybe they're right.

So, with the very vaguest of details possible... anyone have any ideas on how it would impact a chicken's life?

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I'd guess it's probably splayed/a deformity rather than a broken joint at that age. Ultimately the hatching company are responsible and should be able to help so I would seek their advice - it could be totally fine and someone just didn't expect it to look like that.

If it is a broken joint I'd imagine the impact would be great and sometimes the kindest thing is relieve suffering and let them go.

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Sounds like it might be Perosis... A slipped tendon, where it isn't engaged properly in the groove behind the knee, so it will look floppy and 'broken'. The general school of thought on this one is that it's caused by a dietary deficiency in the hen laying the eggs. At any rate, it can be fixed, but really needs vet attention to do that. We once had a chick with this (bought-in fertile eggs) and I euthanised it as soon as it hatched and the problem was apparent.

Edited by The Dogmother
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