Chick walking on hocks

So sorry about your chicks Stiggy. I hope someone who has dealt with this will give advice. Some of the reading I have done talks about heredity or trace minerals being problems with the parent stock, along with vitamin deficiency. There is more written online about meat birds with leg problems than egg layers.
 
Thanks for your help though. Yes I know that meat birds and heavy breeds are prone to it, but I have never seen I in small breeds or bantams until now.
I did wonder about a genetic link, but I assume that if this was the case that I would have had problems before in my stock/flock.
At the same time I spose it gives me peace that the chick isn't suffering anymore, as i realise that keeping it alive wouldn't have been in the best interest for the chick.
I hope that the b vitamins that all the chicks are getting in their water will help prevent/ cure this if it pops up again.
 
Hello, from Texas! I'm new to raising chickens since Easter, but I feel like I've encountered plenty of problems in these recent months! When I transported my 36 chicks to our vacation property, I had 5 chicks come out of the 2 big boxes with Spraddle Leg. I suspected they were sick but then realized they were probably crushed by the others during the 2-1/2 hour drive or they just didn't move or a combo. Not knowing what it was at first, I did remember seeing a website with pics of Spraddle Leg and searched endlessly til I found it again. I followed the directions for taping the legs with trainers' tape (flexible yet slightly sticky) and "rehabilitated" each one with physical activity several times a day (7-8 times)-- no joke! (Taking them out and really making them walk nonstop for 1 minute during each session-- kids are great for doing this for you). All but one survived to be wonderful chickens now! It did require about 4-5 (6?) days of attention. The one we put down was the first one crippled and she had one leg "frozen" outward and really had no way of correcting. (The others showed signs the next morning after the transport and by day 2, her outward "frozen" leg was terrible.) **note: during treatment, I had these 4 chicks separated so they had food and water within reach. However, on day 4 or 5, I started putting them back in with the others for limited visitation and they REALLY perked back up like they needed the flock to bump them into shape. The other chicks gave some, but little, attention to the pink bandages. Once back with the flock, they seemed almost normal and within about 36 hours I removed the tapes.
This is my first posting-- if your chicks have Spraddle Leg, they can be saved and I hope this info is helpful. I embedded/attached some pics but not sure if I'm doing this right....; )
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Thanks chickiemel but I don't think that's quite it as I have treated for that before and had mixed results with it. That's good the the majority of your babies made it tho
 
Just another update. Everyone is still getting the b vitamin water each day but I'm not sure if its doing anything, however on the basis that it might be helping ( its certainly doing no visible harm) and also given how expensive the pills were I shall continue. Unfortunately of the first 3 only one has come right so to speak. he/ she still walks funny, with his/her legs more wide set than the others but it seems happy enough and is up and walking. The other one that I was also treating of the original 3 had to be culled as its hocks were starting to twist and such like the first one. Although it was looking better for a few days it too succumbed to whatever it is and so its suffering was ended. Interestingly it seems to be very fast in crippling the birds as one day they are walking fine, moving with the rest doing chick things and the next they are lame and their feet go funny and they cannot walk. By day 3 their legs are so twisted its awful and they seem to be paralyzed although there is still blood flow.


I did wonder if there was a genetic component, and I guess there could be on the helix strand somewhere however all of these chicks that are effected have different parents and genes. The first one had non related parents, the second and third ( the only survivor so far) had different unrelated mothers but the same father who was unrelated to the mother.
 
Thanks for the link, I will look into it later on tonight when I have some spare time :)
 

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