Help! Chicks hatching with slipped achilles? Something else?

[georgialee]

The last two chicks I've had hatch (from eggs bought off eBay) the chicks legs are angled up towards their heads, toes curled up and useless. It's not splayed legs - they don't go off to the side. Any advice???

 

[zazouse]

Did they just hatch?

 

[georgialee]

Yes.

 

[zazouse]

I would make sure they are on a surface where they can not slip and leave them alone they have to gain their strength after their hatch and sometimes they just need to rest a while so they can straighten things out.

 

[kidcody]

When you see chicks hatch with toes that are curled it can mean the temperature in the incubator was to high.

 

[georgialee]

It's not splayed legs or just curled toes. When you set them down their feet go basically to the sides of their heads (by their eyes) and their toes are curled up and they can't flex them at all. I've had one chick hatch like that and had to put it down after two days of trying to treat it.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

You can straighten curled toes by using duct tape or scotch tape wrapped tight around each toe so it is straight,may take 2 days but will make a diffrence,,How long was it from pip to hatch? I've often thought of making a small "box" similiar to the way and shape you can hold a peachick in your hand,,with it's feet properly under the body and feet actually in the middle part of the body,,I know what your talking about,,kinda looks like the peachick is "sliding into home plate" with it's legs extended forward to the point it cannot balance.if you can mimic the correct position of the legs for 24 hours I would say this can be solved,just as with toes and splayed legs which in my experience all begins because the peachick didn't hatch with 24 hours after pipping,which is now why I help mine out of the shell if they are having difficulty or taking too long.