Am I treating this Spraddle/Splay Leg Correctly? (with pics)

[pseudoyams]

One of my new hatchlings has spraddle / splay leg and I am wondering if I am treating it correctly and for how long the bandage is needed (or how do I know when its okay to leave it off). The chick is 6 days old now and Ive had it in the bandage since last Friday when I found it near death in the coop. Presumably, the chick couldnt get out of the nest with mom and 3 other siblings because it had spraddle leg and couldnt walk. It was cold out and I found her nearly dead. A heat lamp revived it pretty quickly, electrolytes cured its minor case of wry neck and now we just have fix them legs.

When we take the bandage off to change it or just to let the chick stretch out a bit (every other day or so) the legs arent really splayed anymore, but she is walking kinda with her legs not totally underneath her at a bit of an angle and also turned outwards - kinda "duck-like". She can walk and kinda run and was moving around quite a bit but didnt lreally look as good as the others so we put the bandage back on. I dont want her to be left behind again when we reintroduce her to momma hen but am a bit anxious to get her out there again as soon as possible. How long is the support needed? We've had the bandage on for 5 days now. Is there anything I can do to help turn her feet inwards after I take the bandage off? How long does this typically take to cure in a chick her age? Ive searched extensively on how to treat this and found varying recommendations on treatment length ranging from a couple days up to 30.

I appreciate everyone's help! I really want this chick to survive after all we've been through already!

-Rob

 

[OkieChix]

i would put the banid a little closer to gether. i had one that had the same problem. but othere then that it looks good but im no expert. some times it takes a month to corect its self. good luck

 

[kathyinmo]

Yes, you have done it correctly. When I have had this, it took only 2 days to correct.

 

[pseudoyams]

Thanks for your replies!

After treatment did the chicks legs look totally normal right after you took the bandage off? Or did it take a little while for the chick to learn how to walk correctly? I hope I'm not keeping her legs tied up too long although I want her to be fixed!

 

[chickenmamalp]

http://www.poultryhelp.com/spraddle.html
hope this helps

 

[pseudoyams]

Thanks for the link. That is where I found my initial info on how to treat it.

Was wondering if after treatment the chicks legs will be totally normal or if they will still be rotated out and a bit outward still. The progression she made from Friday to Monday was huge, but we havent really seen any change since. She's really getting fed up with the bandage too.

Thanks for your help!

-Rob

 

[MuranoFarms]

Looks good to me. It never took mine more then a few days to correct. I have a guinea keet that I'm treating right now. You don't want the legs to be too close together or they wont be able to get around.