Help! My little one has a problem!

[Mommylarson]

I had 5 eggs in the incubator. They initially were under a broody, but she left the nest halfway through. The first chick hatched Wednesday morning,and the rest hatched throughout the day yesterday. The last one to hatch had part of the yolk sac still attached. I cleaned her up, put her in a little container in the incubator. I checked on her throughout the night and she is very active. She still has a little nub sticking out of her navel and there is something wrong with her legs and feet.

I have no idea what to do! Will she be ok? She was not assisted in hatching. I don't know if something went wrong because we had to put them in the incubator. I just need some advice on how to take care of her. Any help is greatly appreciated!

I also have pictures of her navel
.

 

[iwiw60]

You say there is something wrong with her feet and legs ????????

Do you think it's spraddle leg?

 

[Mommylarson]

Yes, on top of having this navel problem, one of her legs keeps sprawling out from under her, and her toes are crooked.

 

[iwiw60]

Here's a great page with all the info you need to help your little one:

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/search?q=spraddle+leg


Let us know how it goes and good luck!!

 

[Mommylarson]

Thank you! I read the article. I will be attempting a brace and slippers for my little one. We named her Faith. I am still concerned about her navel. Any suggestions with that? I have been putting betadine on it to keep it clean.

 

[Mommylarson]

She actually doesn't have spraddle legs, just curled feel. I tried putting sandals on her, unsuccessfully.

I also noticed her navel spot looks worse.

I have no idea how to help her, or if I can. She is so lively and sweet, I don't want to lose her.

 

[MamaKitty913]

When my chick had this happen I took an alcohol prep (wipe) like the nurse or doctor uses before giving you a shot and wiped the area gently 2 or 3 times a day dried up for the most part and was gone in about 4 days. Is your little one eating and drinking? His belly looks a bit swollen, is it? I'd be sure he's getting pro-biotics (a bit of yougert too) and electolytes in his water as well! Hope all goes better for you both!

 

[Mommylarson]

I could only get it to drink a little bit. I did mix up the sav-a-chick probiotics and electrolytes in the water. Did you live it in the incubator? I am scared to put it in the brooder with the other chicks. I read somewhere about wrapping it where it couldn't move around, is that also advisable? It is still acting very lively and chirping a lot. I hope those are good signs.

 

[happyhens1972]

Leave her in the incubator until she is dried off and fully fluffy. You will find by then that the navel will have dried out too and will probably be far less worrying for you. I had one recently that looked similar....a little more protruding than yours actually....but by the time he'd dried off, it was just a small black blob which is still there on him now and he is a very lively, healthy 12 day old chick!

Mine also had a twisted foot....perservere with the shoe and give it another go. I used a piece of cardboard from a cereal box, cut it to the general outline of a normal foot but without the gaps between the toes (so it looks more like a duck's foot) then taped the toes onto the cardboard in the position they are supposed to be in....one piece of micropore tape over all the toes, checking they are positioned correctly. Once you're happy with the positioning, another piece of tape right over and under the cardboard shoe to keep it on....hey presto!

Mine wore his shoe (and a set of manacles for a slight spraddle) for only 24 hours before his problems were fixed. It is so worth the added effort and a little bit of 'try, try, try again' to get them where they should be

 

[Mommylarson]

Thank you so much! I will try again with the shoe. Would you wrap the chick or not? I did get her to drink some from a dropper.