Chick Hatched on Day 28

[TheBantyShanty]

Hi, this is my first time hatching chicks and I had a bantam chick hatch on day 28. He seems to have some issues standing up. He sits on his bottom and sticks his legs straight out. I think it may have been caused by the floor of the incubator, because I made the mistake of not putting anything on the floor because he was sitting in the dip where the eggs go. Any advice on getting him to stand up normal?
Thanks!

 

[Cyprus]

Can you take a picture of him?

 

[TheBantyShanty]

Here is a picture. I have to assist him to help him stand up and he usually falls back into the same position.

 

[aart]

on day 28

A week late....due to low temps??
That could be the problem.

 

[SBFChickenGirl]

It could be splay/spraddle leg. There are plenty of helpful forums on this site that you could look up. The further away from day 21 they are the more problems they are going to have. (That's what I've noticed.)

 

[TheBantyShanty]

A week late....due to low temps??
That could be the problem.

Yes, I think next time I am going to set my incubator temperature higher. I had it at 37.5 degrees Celsius. The next time I hatch eggs I am going to find a more accurate thermometer, I am not sure how accurate the one on the incubator is.

 

[TheBantyShanty]

It could be splay/spraddle leg. There are plenty of helpful forums on this site that you could look up. The further away from day 21 they are the more problems they are going to have. (That's what I've noticed.)

Yes, we think it might be splay leg. We did some research and found that if they have splay leg you can make a little splint for their leg. We tried this and we are not sure if it has been working or not. He is able to walk sometimes, and then other times he just lays there. I will look at the other forums to see if I can find other things to help.

 

[aart]

Yes, I think next time I am going to set my incubator temperature higher. I had it at 37.5 degrees Celsius. The next time I hatch eggs I am going to find a more accurate thermometer, I am not sure how accurate the one on the incubator is.

The most important thing to do before every incubation is to test your thermometers and hygrometers.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...incubator-thermometers-and-hygrometers.73634/

Did you have other chicks hatch with this batch?
When did this chick hatch?
Not sure if a boost of vitamins will help with late incubation,
but Poultry Nutri Drench is what I'd give it.

IIRC @Eggcessive is good with splint stuff.

 

[TheBantyShanty]

The most important thing to do before every incubation is to test your thermometers and hygrometers.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...incubator-thermometers-and-hygrometers.73634/

Did you have other chicks hatch with this batch?
When did this chick hatch?
Not sure if a boost of vitamins will help with late incubation,
but Poultry Nutri Drench is what I'd give it.

IIRC @Eggcessive is good with splint stuff.

Ok, thanks! I will do that next time before I incubate. Our incubator has a built in thermometer so I will get one of those to use next time! No other chicks hatched, we only had two eggs in the incubator and the other one didn't make it. This chick hatched yesterday, on Valentine's Day. I will try to get some Poultry Nutri Drench if I can find some.

 

[TheBantyShanty]

Update On Chick:

So we decided that the splint was not working very well for the chick, so we used some old stretchy cloth to put over a box. We then cut holes and put his legs through them so he could get used to having his legs under him. We had him in this for about a day and when we took him out he could stand and kind of walk (he just needs to practice balancing). During this time he would not really eat or drink so we had to hand feed him. Now he seems to be eating and drinking better and already seems to be more active. I also got some Poultry Nutri Drench to give him, which is probably helping him get his strength back! Thanks for the replies, they were helpful!