I'm new to the hatching world since starting to date a man with a small hobby farm a couple years ago, but I've become super invested. We incubated 22 guinea hen eggs and 19 hatched. The last one to hatch has something wrong with it's leg but I can't seem to decide if it's straddle (it is only one leg) or if it is something else like a slipped tendon. When we examined it we didn't see anything that confirmed it was a slipped tendon but he also doesn't present with 'normal' splayed legs either. It almost seems like one leg is weak and the toes are curled a bit on that foot. We ended up watching a YouTube video and taping its foot to a flat surface and keeping him confined in a narrow box so he had to keep the leg under his body and it didn't stick out behind. By this morning he had gotten out of the box we had it confined to and the leg is sticking out behind him again when he tries to walk but now he is able to pull it in and under himself (yesterday he could not do that). So most of the time the leg is under him in the proper position now but he is struggling to walk as the leg kicks out behind him before he stops to rest and pulls the leg back in. I am wondering if we should tape his legs together now to treat for spraddle or should we let him be now that he is able to pull his leg under him? Does anyone have any suggestions what this might be and how we can treat it? Thanks!!
This is the before picture before he could even pull his leg back under him.
This is the before picture before he could even pull his leg back under him.
