Baby chick legs are injured

[loveayam]

Hi all. Need your help here. Theres a baby chick just hatched today. However, its legs are abnormal, makes it unable to walk or stand. Chick can only crawl using its wings and chest. The mama hen tried to help but couldnt do anything. Eventually accidentally stepped on chick very hard continuously.

I had no choice but to separate them. Now chick is on my homemade Chick Chair. Its been 4 hours already. It looks healthy and eating well. Its under heat lamp.

Can you advise how long should i leave it in chick chair? I scared it will tire the chick if leave it too long. Attached photo is for your kind ref. Its before i put it on chick chair.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[azygous]

It may be fine as soon as it develops a bit of strength to stand. You may need to hobble it to keep the legs from splaying Sometimes a chick chair can help - doesn't hurt to try. But only leave the chick in the chair for very short periods.

 

[getaclue]

The picture could just be capturing the chick in a moment that it had it's legs positioned in that manner, but you might consider that it has splay leg. There is an easy fix. Get vet wrap, cut a strip. Place the strip around both legs in a loop. Tighten the loop, so the legs are positioned under the chicken, instead of so far apart, then press the center of the vet wrap to get it to stick in that position. You can use the hair band method as well. It will struggle a little at first, but it will get used to it, and be fine. I would leave it that way for a couple days, then remove, and reassess. If it's doing better, but not quite there yet, reapply, and leave it for a couple more days. Don't wait longer than 2 days to recheck, as their legs grow quickly at that age, and you don't want to cut off circulation.

 

[aart]

The mama hen tried to help but couldnt do anything.

Is that the only chick that hatched?

 

[loveayam]

Is that the only chick that hatched?

Theres another chick. Its healthy and got no problem with the leg

 

[loveayam]

The picture could just be capturing the chick in a moment that it had it's legs positioned in that manner, but you might consider that it has splay leg. There is an easy fix. Get vet wrap, cut a strip. Place the strip around both legs in a loop. Tighten the loop, so the legs are positioned under the chicken, instead of so far apart, then press the center of the vet wrap to get it to stick in that position. You can use the hair band method as well. It will struggle a little at first, but it will get used to it, and be fine. I would leave it that way for a couple days, then remove, and reassess. If it's doing better, but not quite there yet, reapply, and leave it for a couple more days. Don't wait longer than 2 days to recheck, as their legs grow quickly at that age, and you don't want to cut off circulation.
View attachment 1983742 View attachment 1983743

Thank you so much for the help. It appears that both legs can’t be straightened. I’m abit worried to do it. But i’ll try

 

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you can do it dont be afraid

 

[----------]

you can get the vet wrap at a dollar store for cheap

 

[Eggcessive]

Splay leg or spraddle leg is a common problem, and can be fixed in 3-5 days with the hobble described. If using vet wrap, you can cut it into strips. A bandaid cut into half is alao good to use. The chick should be on a non-slip surface. Place the legs together about an 1 1/2 inch apart. You may need to help it up to get it’s balance a bit the first day, but they usually get used to it, and the muscles get stronger. The picture is from this link if you want to read about it: