Baby chick can't walk?

Burnttoast5475

Chirping
Mar 11, 2025
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I had a baby chick hatch yesterday and he was born with curled feet and splayed leg, to which I put vet wrap around him and taped his feet and upper legs. However, I noticed today the reason why it's hard for him to stand is because, the best way I can describe it, his legs are too forward. Anyone know how to fix this?
 

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I would have left him in the incubator another day as sometimes that works wonders. I’d separate him and try again with the leg binding. Also, vitamins like Poultry Cell can help. B-complex would too. If you have human pills, I’d grind one up and give him a fourth of one. Just mix it in a little bit of wet crumbles so he eats it all.

That’s an adorable chick! I hope it makes a full recovery!
 
I would have left him in the incubator another day as sometimes that works wonders. I’d separate him and try again with the leg binding. Also, vitamins like Poultry Cell can help. B-complex would too. If you have human pills, I’d grind one up and give him a fourth of one. Just mix it in a little bit of wet crumbles so he eats it all.

That’s an adorable chick! I hope it makes a full recovery!
I’m thinking it had a tendon issue because one of its legs are crooked. And thank you! He’s a mottled silkie
 
I would have left him in the incubator another day as sometimes that works wonders. I’d separate him and try again with the leg binding. Also, vitamins like Poultry Cell can help. B-complex would too. If you have human pills, I’d grind one up and give him a fourth of one. Just mix it in a little bit of wet crumbles so he eats it all.

That’s an adorable chick! I hope it makes a full recovery!
just wanted to lyk that the chick did make a full recovery!!! He/She is the one on the left or bottom with the most white. Thank you so much for the advice.
 

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just wanted to lyk that the chick did make a full recovery!!! He/She is the one on the left or bottom with the most white. Thank you so much for the advice.
Such good news! They are both beautiful!

We've had leg issues with only our buff chicks, so it's obviously a parental problem I haven't narrowed down yet, but leaving them in the incubator longer than the others usually helps. If not, the B-complex and leg bindings for a couple of days usually does the trick.

It's so great that you got yours better so they can have a normal life!
 
Such good news! They are both beautiful!

We've had leg issues with only our buff chicks, so it's obviously a parental problem I haven't narrowed down yet, but leaving them in the incubator longer than the others usually helps. If not, the B-complex and leg bindings for a couple of days usually does the trick.

It's so great that you got yours better so they can have a normal life!
Thank you and turns out it had slipped tendon. I just recently bought a silkie chick off of someone because she had really bad case of slipped tendon and ive been working on her. I ordered stuff to make a cast for her its coming tomorrow. Your advice really did help!
 

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Thank you and turns out it had slipped tendon. I just recently bought a silkie chick off of someone because she had really bad case of slipped tendon and ive been working on her. I ordered stuff to make a cast for her its coming tomorrow. Your advice really did help!
That's awesome!

We have one that we've been working with for about 12 days, which is how old it is. It had a leg like that, except it stuck out more to the side, not the back. Same thing basically though.

We started with the VetWrap and B-complex as usual, but after two days, it was like we'd done nothing. Put her in a narrow cup for half a day. Nothing. Tried the vet wrap again for two more days, and minimal improvement, but we got a better idea with a rubber band. After two days of that, we found it seemed to help more because she was more mobile with it. We let her run around for a day with nothing after all that, and she was much better, but still slipping that leg out on occasion. At least she could walk. We've got them on horse bedding pellets so they aren't causing slippage, she is. A couple of days ago, we put a new rubber band on her looser or wider so the leg can't kick out, but she'll exercise it more. She's running around fine like this, but this time I want to leave it on for about 4-5 days, hoping that leg won't kick back out.

I'll get a picture tomorrow as they're all sleeping now.

You'll have to let me know about this cast. I'd be interested for this chick if this doesn't work.
 
That's awesome!

We have one that we've been working with for about 12 days, which is how old it is. It had a leg like that, except it stuck out more to the side, not the back. Same thing basically though.

We started with the VetWrap and B-complex as usual, but after two days, it was like we'd done nothing. Put her in a narrow cup for half a day. Nothing. Tried the vet wrap again for two more days, and minimal improvement, but we got a better idea with a rubber band. After two days of that, we found it seemed to help more because she was more mobile with it. We let her run around for a day with nothing after all that, and she was much better, but still slipping that leg out on occasion. At least she could walk. We've got them on horse bedding pellets so they aren't causing slippage, she is. A couple of days ago, we put a new rubber band on her looser or wider so the leg can't kick out, but she'll exercise it more. She's running around fine like this, but this time I want to leave it on for about 4-5 days, hoping that leg won't kick back out.

I'll get a picture tomorrow as they're all sleeping now.

You'll have to let me know about this cast. I'd be interested for this chick if this doesn't work.
yeah i wanted to help her because the owner didnt know what to do and im an animal lover lol. I found another post on here that gave me and idea for it. the Silkie i have is now 3 weels i got her at 1 week and 5 days old. Was thinking of using this post but with smaller popsicle sticks of course. Also had this idea of making like a real cast with plaster using two halves to Bind them together with vet wrap. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-splint-a-slipped-tendon-in-chickens.1483713/
 
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yeah i wanted to help her because the owner didnt know what to do and im an animal lover lol. I found another post on here that gave me and idea for it. the Silkie i have is now 3 weels i got her at 1 week and 5 days old. Was thinking of using this post but with smaller popsicle sticks of course. Also had this idea of making like a real cast with plaster using two halves to Bind them together with vet wrap. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-splint-a-slipped-tendon-in-chickens.1483713/
That's a great splint idea in that post! The only thing is, yours and mine have the issue coming from their hip or femur, versus the chicken in the post had it down further in its leg. Would you move that splint up higher on the leg then, I'd assume, to keep it from bending out or backward?
 
That's a great splint idea in that post! The only thing is, yours and mine have the issue coming from their hip or femur, versus the chicken in the post had it down further in its leg. Would you move that splint up higher on the leg then, I'd assume, to keep it from bending out or backward?
the chick i have just needs her leg bent so she can use it but for hip issues i make little underwear with vet wrap lol so their upper legs are positioned correctly. I did it to my mottled silkie because its legged were far too foreward it made her butt looked big lol but now theyre positioned correctly.
 

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