Leg/foot issues

[anniep]

what is the biggest contributor to leg or feet issues when incubating? I've changed nothing on my incubator. Suddenly one hatch has 4 chicks with funny legs... legs that are held up and end up being rotated or crooked.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

https://the-chicken-chick.com/spraddle-leg-in-baby-chicks-what-is-it/

This is one of the most comprehensive answers to your question that you will find. The Chicken Chick is a well published author of a chicken keeping book and a long-term chicken keeper.

A lot of things can contribute to leg and feet issues, per the Chicken Chick and other internet sources:

-temp fluctuations during incubation
-a difficult hatch that makes legs week
-a leg or foot injury
-brooder overcrowding
-vitamin deficiency
-and (not mentioned in her post) genetics

This post also has instructions for how to treat and correct the issue. Good luck! I'm sorry no one saw this post sooner.