Any SPLAY leg experts......or even someone who has a clue??

[frenchblackcopper]

Being my first season hatching peachicks,I do know one very concrete thing,,those that take longer than 24 hrs from pip to egg exit,has had splayed leg issues.Also a curled toe goes along with loose legs.Not being an expert,but knowing for the legs to get stronger and more under the chick,one remedy I tried was to take a paper towel,fold it twice,so it was about 3" wide,,then carefully take the peachick,,make sure the legs are underneath it square with the thigh joint,then wrap the chick tightly and use scotch tape to secure. I have used scotch tape around a crooked toe and about a day later,it is straight. I have also used a rubber band,tying a small loop on each end,then tying a knot in the middle if necessary to make the length from leg to leg more correct,then slipping over each foot.About a day later there is a BIG improvement.

 

[preciouspokey]

Quote:
Thank you so much deerman, the zip ties worked like a charm. Two days and now that little peachick is running around as strong and healthy as all the rest. Not so much as a limp. I will always remember that idea in case I need it again in the future. He is a darling little chick, probably the friendliest of all of them which is saying something because they all sit there and chirp for attention from my husband myself and our grandson. I was nervous putting the zips on because I wanted to trim the excess tie down close so it wouldn't cause any sores or issues. I was so nervous that I would end up cutting a leg instead! But it all went well. Again, thank you so much....GREAT IDEA!!

I did a lot of reading on splay leg and also on the curly toes. The majority of reports do not believe it to be genetic and that more often than not it is caused by outside circumstances that are beyond anyone's control. With these guys, it may have been because of spending time out of incubator , they were turned right up until hatching (one...Miracle....hatched in the turner!) etc. I really believe all this happened due to the turning. I mean if you think about it.....they never had the chance to settle themselves or correct their position for hatching. They pretty much had to hatch on the fly so to speak lol. And I think they did a darn fine job hatching all things considered!! in my opinion....these are some pretty strong birds!! You hear so much about how hard it is to manually hatch peafowl eggs. Well.....need I say more?? LOL.

PS. # 5 hatched last night

and it looks like there will be a # 6 any time now...we are hearing peeps!!! Pretty good for eggs that were "no good". Think of it this way, here are 6 chicks that came within minutes of being tree projectiles!!!!



OOPS lol forgot that unless you saw the thread on Miracle.....you wouldn't know that these 6 eggs were given to me because the man was about to throw them against a tree because they were "no good". If you read the Miracle thread you'll understand more sorry lol

 

[deerman]

Glad it worked for you...I use the very small zip ties..Think it works better than any tape. Agree don't think its genetic...most happen right after hatching, because they don't get good footing ,for lots of reason.

As a kid my first batch of quail over 50% did. Metal pan in round incubator.

I use wire cutters to remove the extra off the ties.

By the way got the idea off of the TV show COPS. saw them use the 3 zip ties as hand cuffs on a big bust.