Day old chick, severe Splayed legs... Bone showing on hocks

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Sahwithchicks

Sahwithchicks

Songster
7 Years
Feb 25, 2012
2,813
121
198
Central FL
i hatched a black copper maran chick yesterday... It looks to have a very bad case of Splayed legs... It can't walk, and it wobbles on it's hocks with it's feet up under it's wings. I tried to make my first hobble brace and left it on overnight. This morning it seems worst off. I noticed on both legs at the hock the bone is showing through the skin. Here are some pictures of it. Is there anything I can do to help, or should I put it out of it's misery. I haven't seen it eat, no signs, and I have fed it some water, but it doesn't show any interest.
AB5718E2-BBDF-4F13-9381-EAED9373D85C-498-000000CB849105F3.jpg

CB54A283-5845-4620-A72E-A24BDF110C68-498-000000CB965FA9A6.jpg

48D48FC7-FB84-4BCB-B894-22C7274A12B0-498-000000CB8CF4046F.jpg

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30BEA6B2-FC43-4C5C-BE96-7AAF479B9CFB-498-000000CCD9993BF9.jpg
 
He is a scooter, not the same as splayed leg. I would remove the leg band. Try the shot glass method....
Take a narrow tall heavy glass like a shot glass... Take a paper towel and make a little donut out of it in the bottom of the glass, making sure the glass bottom is covered too. You want it to be tall and somewhat snugg. Dip the chicks beak in vitamin water....then place the chick inside the donut with feet in correct position.
This helps build up the leg muscles he didn't inside the egg. The donut keeps him from falling over, and the narrow glass helps keep him in the correct position. If he wiggles out then the glass isn't narrow enough or the donut is too short. Take chick out to dip beak in water vitamins during the day etc. do this for a day, then check progress, if not then repeat another day....and so on. If after three days no improvement then I'd put it down. You may also put some neosporine on that hock wound. Also keep the baby warm..but not too close it cooks in the glass..... Best wishes
 
Last edited:
chickenzoo said:
He is a scooter, not the same as splayed leg. I would remove the leg band. Try the shot glass method....
Take a narrow tall heavy glass like a shot glass... Take a paper towel and make a little donut out of it in the bottom of the glass, making sure the glass bottom is covered too. You want it to be tall and somewhat snugg. Dip the chicks beak in vitamin water....then place the chick inside the donut with feet in correct position.
This helps build up the leg muscles he didn't inside the egg. The donut keeps him from falling over, and the narrow glass helps keep him in the correct position. If he wiggles out then the glass isn't narrow enough or the donut is too short. Take chick out to dip beak in water vitamins during the day etc. do this for a day, then check progress, if not then repeat another day....and so on. If after three days no improvement then I'd put it down. You may also put some neosporine on that hock wound. Also keep the baby warm..but not too close it cooks in the glass..... Best wishes
Click to expand...
that sounds like a brill idea

is it possible to show pics of how its done

i'm finding it hard to picture this method
 
Thanks for your quick response. I didn't really have any cups that would work so I fashioned this. Does it look like it would work? The chick does seem more comfortable, I mean aside from being immobilized, but I haven't heard it sad peeping since I rigged it up.
EC5B4A8E-4EEE-4120-993B-FF381C96FD2C-550-000000DC3CE892F0.jpg

59E0202A-D270-45C8-AA92-593333E3440D-550-000000DBFC11A4F4.jpg
 
"So your not actually keeping the chick in the glass but using it to help form the doughnut shape?"
No, if I had a glad that would work, I would have had him in it. Instead, I made the doughnut strong enough to support him, then used the dish to keep him upright.
ok, I ran into a couple problems. First being. This guy just did NOT want to put his feet down. He was either holding them to his body, or pushing them into the paper towel and falling out the bottom. I ended up lassoing each leg with pipe cleaning and stretching his legs down (to standing position length) then placing him in the dish again.
After a half an hour, I let him out of the contraption, and for a little bit, he was actually supporting himself on his feet, not hocks, which was a first with him. I think I will use this for the rest of the day, and tomorrow removing the pipe cleaner to allow him to use his own muscle strength. Then, on day 3... Let him fend for himself, if he hasnt recovered... I will have to call it quits and do the humane thing.
 
I was having a really tough case of spraddle leg where the legs kept going out behind it rather than out to the side. So that even after a full day of being banded the legs were still going straight back with the chick laying on its stomach and kind of crawling around. I added a wire mesh on the floor in case traction was a problem. Still didnt help, this is what the chick looked like:




then I was alerted to this thread and I popped the chick in a glass and he immediately stopped struggling. he is even putting some weight on his legs and popping his head out of the top of the glass.

Check it out:



 

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