incubating eggs

[neonewman]

Hi,
I have been having great success incubating chicks. However, the last two incubations have brought some chicks with their legs spread apart, unable to walk. Can someone please give me some insight on this problem i am having? I really hate to cull them out, they are a very expensive breed. Is there a remedy to this?
thank you for you help.

 

[dbcooper02]

Spraddle leg as it is commonly called usually comes from one of two sources. Newly hatched chicks on a slick surface can't maintain their footing and their legs will go out from under them. This can sometimes be corrected by hobbling the legs together with a cut down band-aid or other method and getting them on a proper surface.
Unfortunately the second source might be a genetic defect caused from breeding birds from too limited of a gene pool. Your mention of the "expensive breed" Has me thinking this might be what's happening. Again, these birds might be able to be hobbled and corrected, but I personally would make sure to not use the afflicted birds in a breeding program.

 

[neonewman]

Hi dbcooper,
thank you so much. I have recently bought a wooden hen incubator, It is wonderful, however the hatching tray has a slick surface. I put down paper towels for now, and the last 3 to hatch are standing. I will definitely try hobbling them. Hope it will correct them. The breed i have is a new cross that i have been working on, and is starting to be worth some really good money. So you can see where my concern was heading. I thought the same as you as far as the breed goes. But i have been careful not to inbreed my birds, and the pine knot breed i recently acquired is from a friend of mine who bred many different lines to reach this particular breed. Thank you again for your help.