Leg issue Please help

[baldie]

Hi, I have a chick that hatched yesterday and it was real sticky when it hatched out. I wiped it down to get the goo off. Anyway it was having leg problems which I was hoping would get better and its not. It doesn't seem like spraddle leg, her legs stick straight forward. She bends them with my help only. She has made it this far and I would really like to see her make it.
Thanks Chrissie

 

[ChixDigMe]

Hi Chrissie,

Not sure what to tell you. I have no experience with leg problems, but I wanted to give this post a bump.

Is she any better today?

Kurt

 

[sweetie54]

hummmm i would keep bending it back and forth until the chick can do it on her own!

 

[LynneP]

It would not hurt to add vitamins to the water in case all these chicks are a bit low. Vitamin E in oil caps for this one...somethines you get a harch in which one or more are a bit underdeveloped and if neurological both multivitamins and vitamin E may help. I hope breeders see this and add comments...and good luck. A photo would be helpful.

 

[Laney]

I don't know if this will help, but I had a duckling with his/her legs totally flat to the back. He would pull himself along with his beak.

It was so sad. I called a local breeder and he told me it could be neuro, congenital, or low vitamin.

I put vit & electrolyte in his water and in 3 days he was walking (still with a swagger but walking). I also gave it to all my chicks and ducklings at the time just in case.

Over the next week or so I was able to put him back in with his brooder mates for some supervised socializing (to get him to move about and exercise his legs in his private box he would just sit). Now he walks just fine.

If it was neuro or congenital...I would have had to cull him as sad as it would have made me because he would not have made it. I think it would have broken my heart if the vitamins and electrolytes hadn't worked. I did try to hobble him first, it was a last ditch effort to call the breeder as I hadn't found this board yet.

Good luck. Try the vitamins and if you see some improvement don't forget that you may need some rehab too.

Laney