2 week old with slightly splayed legs

[lucy12132]

Hi everyone. I have a chick that's almost 2 weeks old and I've just noticed her legs seem to be a little far apart. She is able to get around fine in the brooder but doesn't seem to stand up as tall as the others. Will she be ok as is or do I need to intervene in some way?
This is my first time raising chicks.

 

[SmiYa0126]

My neighbor used the hair tie (thin "goody" ones not scrunchies) with a piece of cut plastic straw as remedy for a few of his meat chickens that needed to be fixed up. It worked really well! They were a little older too. It should work for you too!

 

[ChickyCh00k]

This is from The Chicken Chick's book. She uses VetRap elastic bandages, and says it can be found in feed stores.

This is the 'how to' from the book. ❤

ETA: This is the protocol for 'spraddle leg' in the book - not sure if your chick has a mild form of that or not...maybe she would be fine without any intervention. Hopefully someone way more experienced will be able to chime in. (Do you have a pic of the chick?)

 

[lucy12132]

My neighbor used the hair tie (thin "goody" ones not scrunchies) with a piece of cut plastic straw as remedy for a few of his meat chickens that needed to be fixed up. It worked really well! They were a little older too. It should work for you too!

I tried the hairtie but I don't know if the one I used was too small?
She couldn't walk with it, just kind of flopped around. I held her for a while and she slept but she refused to stand. She was in so much distress I ended up just taking it off. She's a fiesty one haha

 

[lucy12132]

View attachment 3233048
This is from The Chicken Chick's book. She uses VetRap elastic bandages, and says it can be found in feed stores. View attachment 3233051
This is the 'how to' from the book. ❤

ETA: This is the protocol for 'spraddle leg' in the book - not sure if your chick has a mild form of that or not...maybe she would be fine without any intervention. Hopefully someone way more experienced will be able to chime in. (Do you have a pic of the chick?)

Not sure if these are very good pics.
She gets around fine. Just don't want her to be affected as she grows up.

 

[igorsMistress]

If you use the splay leg treatment she should be fine. My rooster had splay leg and he’s able to run and jump, just has a slightly funky walk that’s barely noticeable.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Awww! What a sweetie! I would feel the same - as she gets older/heavier, I would worry about mobility issues. The book I have also mentions that a band-aid or medical tape could be used if you don't have/can't get VetRap. It might be worth a try for a day or two - to get the placement of the legs right underneath her. The Chicken Chick's website goes into a lot of detail here : https://the-chicken-chick.com/spraddle-leg-in-baby-chicks-what-is-it/

The chicks on that web page have WAY worse spraddle leg, but I imagine the treatment might still be beneficial for your little one.