help! a better boot?

[farmergal]

This morning my week-old roo (named "Santa" cuz he's so fat and jolly

) couldn't walk very well, and his toes were all curled under. I did a search on BYC and read that a cardboard "boot" taped on with band-aids worked well for this problem.

Well, with the boots on, my little roo just trips all over himself and ends up with his legs stuck out behind him, moving himself mostly with his wings. And then to top it off he stumbles through the water/yogurt so that the cardboard gets wet and stops sticking to the band-aid and falls off. Any suggestions for a "better boot"? Right now Santa's just sitting in a separate container with paper towel bedding (the boots were really catching on the pine shavings) with vitamin-and-electrolyte water, yogurt, and chick food... with no boots because they got all wet.

This is the second chick with leg problems... didn't have any that went wrong in my first group... don't know what I'm doing wrong??

any help is much appreciated! I've already lost two little ones this week and I really want to keep this roo alive/healthy! he needs to grow up big and strong to protect all my ladies, so please help me out.... thanks much!!

 

[Solsken Farm]

Can you trace the little foot with a pencil and make the boot just a bit bigger than the foot? This should allow the little one to walk. The cardboard and bandaid is a pretty good method. I have used these with several chicks just for one night and they are fine the next day. Sometimes they feel uncomfortable at first, but they get used to it.

Try again tonight.

I hope this helps.