what causes spay legs???

[sniper338]

Its just one or two a hatch for me lately... this hatch i did notice though that the humidity dropped quick everyday... i had to add water more often than i normally do when i do a hatch...

the other 20 that have hatched are fine.... i dont have a still air incubator mine circulates air so i shouldnt have a hot spot i wouldnt think.... this hatch this week my moisture would jump high with very little water then it would drop throughout the day here id have to add water 2 or 3 times a day.... normally only once a day i used to have to add

 

[Quail Jailer]

Humidity happens.

 

[sniper338]

Ah hell i just thought of something.... my incubators on the floor in front of a window that sunlight comes in during the day.... the gf set it up there... i didnt think about that... thats why i had spikes and losses of humidity rapidly.... not to mention a little warmer incubator probably too... im gonna have to put it in my regular spot next week when i start another batch... i bet that was my problem.. i know better than that but it didnt cross my mind

 

[Fancychooklady]

I have hobbled chicks on day 1 and they have been up and running with the rest of them on day 2.
Once they are bigger even I can't tell which ones they are. Just to add to possible causes I believe it may have something to do with insufficient turning prior to day 18.

 

[MeepBeep]

but its an everyday thing to care for them and as much a i wish i could fix it, i dont have time for it.

I STRONGLY beg to differ that it's and everyday thing in fact it's almost no time in the end... Takes me all of about 5 minutes to fabricate and install the brace and then two or three days later it takes me about another minute to remove the brace... If I used band-aides instead of leg wrap I could halve that time... Grand total maybe 5 or 6 minutes as a generous estimate, if I was doing multiples it would be even faster... Sometimes, I spend a minute dosing them up with vitamins if they are looking weak, but I consider this just regular care not specific to the spraddle leg... I can understand a big hatchery not spending the time because they need to ship ASAP and they will miss that window if they have to mend the problem, but for most home breeders it's hardly much trouble at all...

If it's not an incubation problem it could be that the hen wasn't getting enough vitamins (or a good laying diet in general) when she was laying...

 

[sniper338]

Ill have to add some vitamins to their water and see if that helps, i havent done it in a while, forgot i had it...

 

[calichicken]

Thanks everyone for your input! This was the first year I have ever had a chick with splayed legs and had no idea why

That is actually how I ended up joining this forum, to get help for this chick! I do have a still air bator, so maybe that was part of the problem? My little chick did take a while to recover, but once she did she was out and about with the others! Its stance was a little wider, but got around just fine!

 

[lightchick]

Quote: x2!

 

[Quail Jailer]

I STRONGLY beg to differ that it's and everyday thing in fact it's almost no time in the end... Takes me all of about 5 minutes to fabricate and install the brace and then two or three days later it takes me about another minute to remove the brace... If I used band-aides instead of leg wrap I could halve that time... Grand total maybe 5 or 6 minutes as a generous estimate, if I was doing multiples it would be even faster... Sometimes, I spend a minute dosing them up with vitamins if they are looking weak, but I consider this just regular care not specific to the spraddle leg... I can understand a big hatchery not spending the time because they need to ship ASAP and they will miss that window if they have to mend the problem, but for most home breeders it's hardly much trouble at all...

If it's not an incubation problem it could be that the hen wasn't getting enough vitamins (or a good laying diet in general) when she was laying...

For a breeder like myself, a splay is a no brainer cull, It would be counter productive to keep /introduce a compromised chick into the flock.

 

[Fancychooklady]

I'm a breeder too and for the time it takes to cut a bandaid in half and wrap it around two little legs and then return to the brooder, it's a no brainier.