Easter chicks, spraddle spray leg, did the fixes on this site work for you?

[SoORchick73]

Ohhh good point! I need a bigger brooder box!

I will scoot some seeds out of the way, doh I didn't think of that! Good idea with the towel too. I won't be here to supervise tonight and they are progressing so I don't want to back track. I wish I didn't have to work Thanks for all your support and understanding! And LOL I know I seriously can't figure out how to get pics from iphone on here! I've been googled it (says switch to desktop mode on main screen but I can't find it anywhere

) I can't wait to see pics of your babies!!! xoxx

I love the way you have fallen back on your training ... weighing them

They must feel better with their toes free .........

Too funny how you can figure how to take and then upload a video to youtube - but cant get a pic in here

I would have a think about the flooring  ....  the seed might be a bit uncomfie under foot .... give them some space where there is no seed, maybe ?

Also I would have a think about just using a towel, leave it NOT flat so it has some small snake-like rises. This will help them balance, they can lean on the thicker snake-like lumps.

You and your son are doing an amazing job.

I have 3 little ones, who are just on 3 weeks of age at the moment that live on my dining table (of a night) and out in a wire-run of a day .... Ill try and get some videos of them today.

 

[SoORchick73]

On further research, one of them has a rotated femur. Not responding at all to taping and is not doing well at all. Will be put down tonight for sure. The other one still iffy but she's eating and drinking on her own now. In case she gets put down, we got Peter (the fully recouped chick) 2 friends today A bantam salmon favorelle and a silver laced Wyandotte. I am 100% done syringe feeding and obsessing. It's been a stressful week!!!!

 

[SoORchick73]

I also used that sports tape, the stuff that sticks to its self NOT the target

I'm not sure if you are still following, but wanted to post a final update. Sadly...two of the three had to be put down but the last chick is doing awesome! I got him two friends from the feed store so he wouldn't be alone. He's getting around on his own, eating/drinking and thriving. Slightly spoiled I might add

. I still have him loosely hobbled with the rubber band and straw method, and take it off several times a day letting his little legs stretch. He's getting bigger (yay for that) but I feel when I take it off he does "funny things" with his right leg (stretches, favors it slightly...slightly!) I'm paranoid to stop it too soon but I've gotta cut the cord eventually. He's 9 days old today. Gah tell me how to post pics from my iphone...someone!

Peter wants to make a brief appearance in this thread for current and future readers

What I did was to make cuffs, like little bracelets around each of the legs about 1/2 a cm wide these cuffs stayed in-place.

Then I made a longer piece again about 1/2 a cm wide that went around the legs including the cuffs. The objective it to support the  legs in their correct position NOT to over correct .. so use your eye and judge what is the right distance for the legs to be normally.

I made the cuffs because I had one little chick once that needed to be taped for about 8 days, and I got sick of struggling to redo the tapes around the legs. I check at least once a day to see if the tape is needed. Taking the tape off and seeing how the chick is going, how strong the legs have become, one extra days is not going to do any harm, but taking it off a day early will.

I found it alot easier to just renew the main joining tape, than to retape a nice neat cuff each time. The blitters can kick and carry on a treat.

 

[SoORchick73]

pixiejayne quoted you because you followed me here is the latest in case you were interested

Two of the three had to be put down. One practically passed on its own, the other was "fine" but clearly NEVER going to be ok since she couldn't get off her hocks and her deformities were so bad. We put her down Tuesday morning. Peter is doing awesome! I think he might even be a she He has two new friends we picked up from the feed store so he wouldn't be alone...a bantam salmon favorelle and a silver laced Wyandotte. He is very close to not needing his rubber band straw hobble any longer. He's gaining weight (lol I know I know)...8 grams overnight as compared to the 1-2 grams daily. He's 10 days old and a whopping 51 grams! I can't even tell you how stinking tame and cute he is, and how spoiled he is by my 3 boys. LOL because I STILL can't figure out how to post pics!!!

Anyhoo, chick NICU is now a chick special care nursery...feeder and grower! The trio will remain in the house brooder for another week or five lol jk. Then move to the barn in the bigger 4x4x4 brooder with the rest of the flock. Or maybe I'll just cosleep and baby wear him until he's 2.

End of story!

 

[Pixijayne]

Im so happy that you have one little gem out of all your efforts .....

yes you need to figure how to get stupid pics off ur phone to post ... here is a video of my 3 last week ..

 

[SoORchick73]

Im so happy that you have one little gem out of all your efforts .....

yes you need to figure how to get stupid pics off ur phone to post ... here is a video of my 3  last week ..

Oh my they are so big by 4 weeks! This always leaves my mind that they grow. Which is why I end up with more

Which of the trip was your splay leg baby? You'd never know it now. What breed are they all? Thanks for sharing!

 

[SoORchick73]

Oh my they are so big by 4 weeks! This always leaves my mind that they grow. Which is why I end up with more

Which of the trip was your splay leg baby? You'd never know it now. What breed are they all? Thanks for sharing!

Adding to this thread for anyone that may read it in the future (I've learned a ton reading old posts on here in searches!) I ordered an "Incubating chickens at home" book, and realized not only my 3 power outages impacted my splay leg babies, but I also made some grave errors that were the MORE likely cause of their splay leg. Leaving them in the incubator too long after hatching. Using the brinsea octagon 20, and although it has a "grate" in the floor it IS plastic and slippery. Somewhere in my searches on BYC it said don't be afraid to leave them in the incubator 24 hours - not only did they trample all my other eggs into malpositions for hatch, that surface is NOT ideal. The last 4 that didn't hatch were perfectly formed and I do believe they drowned because after lockdown they were trampled too long by chicks I left in the incubator WAY too long. Today, I have 15 viable moving embryos out of 15 I set, and I'll be curious to see how many hatch. I will be removing hatched chicks 45 minutes to an hour after they hatch. I also learned from my book that my little Peter (23 day assisted hatch, splay leg baby), was shrink wrapped into his membrane and definitely wouldn't have survived if I hadn't helped him. I removed him from the incubator at a few hours of age and he's the only one of the 3 that survived. I can't find any info on rotated femurs and splay leg association, but the two we put down definitely had more than splay leg going on. Feeling much better about the upcoming hatch (8 more days!) and will not go to extraordinary measures if we have problems again. Also still thinking that Peter is a girl! Yay for that!

 

[SoORchick73]

Oh my they are so big by 4 weeks! This

always leaves my mind that they grow. Which is why I end up with more

Which of the trip was your splay leg baby? You'd never know it


now. What breed are they all? Thanks for sharing!

pixiejayne ....still BYC illiterate Lol (big surprise ) search me on FB: Joni Farrington, I'd love to add you! my "about" says NICU RN, BSN I'd love to keep in touch!