Chick with rare mutation — 1-in-10 million — hatches in Iowa, fair says. See it
As fair attendees in Iowa ogled at the baby chicks experiencing their first moments outside the protective shell, one stood out against the rest.
Two additional limbs dangled behind the chick’s legs, a photo posted to Facebook by the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport shows. This chick has four legs — an ultra-rare mutation.
“He looked like he was laying on top of another chick and how wrong I was – he had four legs,” farmer Gary Kaasa told KGCW. “You don’t see the difference between him and anyone else until you turn him over. He has an extra set of legs back here.”
This mutation occurs in about 1 in 10 million chicks, fair officials said in an Aug. 4 Facebook post.
“Aside from having two-extra legs, a veterinarian says the chick is healthy,” according to fair officials.
The chick’s two extra legs appear much smaller than its other legs, photos show. The extra limbs dangle behind the legs that hold up its small body.
The mutation, scientifically known as Polymelia, is a “genetic birth defect” causing additional limbs that are “shrunken in size and/or deformed,” according to Poultry DVM.
Chicks are able to live “normal healthy lives” with the extra limbs, but they can also be amputated, Poultry DVM said on its website.
The cause of the birth defect is unknown.
Davenport is near the Iowa-Illinois border, about an 80-mile drive southeast of Cedar Rapids.
This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Chick with rare mutation — 1-in-10 million — hatches in Iowa, fair says. See it."
