Easter chicks, spraddle spray leg, did the fixes on this site work for you?

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SoORchick73

SoORchick73

Songster
8 Years
May 9, 2011
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I have 3 chicks hatched Easter morning 5 am and Easter night 7 pm, and one the day before. All seem to have splay leg. I have them in a separate brooder, give electrolyte drops, they are rubber banded with straw as spacer, and doing physical therapy in tiny jam jars 8 times a day. Also added poly vi sol to water today. If anyone has SUCCESSFULLY recovered chicks from this, can you tell me how long it took and the method you used? THANK YOU for taking your time to help me! In 100 chicks I've raised this is the first time (and first time hatching in a bator)
PLEASE, anyone?
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I had a splay-legged Welsumer chick born early February, and I used a thin strip of flexible sports tape to hold the legs straight above the knees, with about 1/2-1 cm space in between the legs. I made sure not to tape the legs too tight and cut off their circulation. After a night in the incubator, she was standing and taking tiny steps, tiny because her legs were taped together. I removed the tape after a few days in the brooder, and she was fine. She walked somewhat stiff for a week or so, but is now completely healed. She is now several months old and is extremely healthy, enjoying the fine spring weather we're having! :)
Here is the sports tape brand I used: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ace-Waterproof-Sports-Tape/22150851
 
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I had one hatch out Thursday who I noticed was spraddled about 6 hours after she was in the brooder. She was getting trampled and unable to stand up - I did the bandaid method (cut a standard bandaid in half lengthwise, then wrap using the middle pad as a guide for width). We placed her back in the brooder in a small "nest" above the crowd so she wouldn't get picked on, after 12 hours we checked her (no progress) and rebandaged. After another 12 hours we noticed she was able to stand up on her own, and so 12 hours after that (36 hours total) we removed the bandage to check and she was able to walk well on her own. We put her back in the brooder and today she is running around and totally normal.

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In her nest

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Standing up the next day
 
I should add, on the first check we noticed the bandaid had stretched allowing too much space between the legs, so on the second dressing we put the legs a little closer together to ensure they were in the right position under her when she was sitting. Then she simply sat on them until she figured out how to push up and stand - we didn't do any kind of physical therapy for her. Once she could stand she would get up and look over the edge, turn around etc
Perhaps with the elastic band method there would be too much flexibility for the legs to wander further apart making correction time longer?
 
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I also used that sports tape, the stuff that sticks to its self NOT the target :)

What I did was to make cuffs, like little bracelets around each of the legs about 1/2 a cm wide these cuffs stayed in-place.

Then I made a longer piece again about 1/2 a cm wide that went around the legs including the cuffs. The objective it to support the legs in their correct position NOT to over correct .. so use your eye and judge what is the right distance for the legs to be normally.

I made the cuffs because I had one little chick once that needed to be taped for about 8 days, and I got sick of struggling to redo the tapes around the legs. I check at least once a day to see if the tape is needed. Taking the tape off and seeing how the chick is going, how strong the legs have become, one extra days is not going to do any harm, but taking it off a day early will.

I found it alot easier to just renew the main joining tape, than to retape a nice neat cuff each time. The blitters can kick and carry on a treat.
 
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Thank you to all who replied!!!!
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I tried sports tape and they flipped over and couldn't get back up. The rubber band I'm using is pretty small and they are too little to pull on it...the 1/4 inch (or less) piece of straw goes between the two loop holes. it was the first hit on YouTube for correcting spraddle leg/splay leg. I think I have it measured correctly?? They seem to be getting around ok but are mainly on their hocks to sit. It's been 26 hours and only tiny improvement, and they were just hatched yesterday (except one, that was the night before Easter). I really hope this works! I'm so stressed out about it
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I wish I could upload pics. Can't from. my iphone. Thank you thank you again!!!
 


This is not a good shot but its the only one I have ... here I was using a tape called micropore. Its not too sticky and its kinda like strong paper with a sticky side, it will wear off, disintegrate before it does any harm to the chick, but a little oil food/baby types rubbed on will help it come off faster.

This little guy was totally sitting in his bum feet straight out in front of him, he needed around 8 days of taping.

 
Pixijayne said:
That's what two of mine are doing! Sitting right on their bums with legs out front :\ How did you feed the chick the 8 days he was taped? Mine do not seem to be eating or drinking, only what we manually feed them. I can't imagine doing this for 8 days...getting food into them :( Wondering what the best approach to keeping them hydrated and fed while they are not showing interest...I can't give them electrolytes every hour with a dropper...I mean I can do that for a few days (during waking hours, but longer term?) This is not a good shot but its the only one I have ... here I was using a tape called micropore. Its not too sticky and its kinda like strong paper with a sticky side, it will wear off, disintegrate before it does any harm to the chick, but a little oil food/baby types rubbed on will help it come off faster. This little guy was totally sitting in his bum feet straight out in front of him, he needed around 8 days of taping.
Click to expand...
 
I was lucky I guess once mine have the tape on they have always been able to start supporting themselves. This one that was a little more affected I had in a very narrow container with a folded hand towel that almost gave him no other choice than to be standing /supported upright.

I hatched his little guy out, his egg was left behind after his 7 nest mates hatched, and mamma had left the nest. His egg was quite cold when I found it, so I popped it down my bra and 24 hrs later he hatched. He spent his first 8 days in that tiny jar. I did take him out for little exercise runs in a small cardboard box. Once I knew he was strong enough I took him out to his mamma and siblings, he jumped out of my hands, hit the ground running and was completely excepted by all. Phew .......

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I fed mine some egg-wash and bread with small bird seeds always scattered about for him to pick at.

I found some videos I had taken, here is a link for you to look at.

 
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