Another "chick can't stand" thread...could use some help

[Atlantakycklingar]

Hey, I just had some Jersey Giants hatch out yesterday, and one sorta got stuck in the shell. So unfortunately this guy has some issues walking. His legs aren't splayed or spraddled per se, but they are definitely not right. They sort of go straight out in front of him, and he can basically only shimmy backwards. One leg is sorta splayed out to the right, so I used the band-aid technique to try to center up the legs. But still the hips are all weird, they come out almost 90 degrees from the body. Not sure if you can see in the picture.



It's not really coming across well in these pictures. Aside from bandaiding the legs together, what else can I do? It's like I need a brace, pushing the hips together or something. I really hope I don't have to cull him.

 

[Atlantakycklingar]

bump?

 

[Sphinx]

I'd put this in the diseases/injuries section. I know there's some experts who hang around there.

I have no other ideas, I'm so sorry. It's so tough when they come out and things aren't perfect.

 

[Pele]

poor little guy

To be honest, it sounds like you've already done what you could for him. The only other suggestion I would have is to maybe make a makeshift brace down the leg out of a popsicle stick or something rigid. If you tape those on each leg, and include the hobble, that would hold the legs in 'proper' position.

He probably wouldn't be able to walk like that at first, but chicks are resiliant and adaptable little things. Good luck!

 

[Atlantakycklingar]

I ended up having to cull...poor thing. He could only move backwards, so he kept being stuck in the corner. That made his wings permanently stick out all funny, so I didn't think he had much of a life ahead of him. I did the baking soda and vinegar method. Even though I guess it's painless for him, it was still not easy to watch.