Leg issues with baby chick

[Lillith37]

So this is about the chick my broody hatched (or rather incubated and then didn't hatch). I wrote two other threads here and here.

In short, my broody hen Yinny was sitting on two eggs. One hatched, the other took longer and she left the nest whilst it was externally pipped. I assisted the chick to hatch. Unfortunately its feet and toes were curled in and it was walking on the outside edges of its feet. It was also splaying its legs a little and one leg was getting stuck behind it.

I made little sandals for the chick to correct the feet. Just plastic disks wrapped in vetwrap and then strapped under the feet, around the toes and secured at the ankle. Beautiful Yinny accepted the second chick and because it's really wet outside, I've set them up inside. The chick is already moving better, but it sits down on its hocks. I'm not sure if this is because of the sandal design (there's no back to the sandals, they are just a flat disk) or something else. There is less splaying and the leg does not seem to be getting stuck behind as much.

I have Vitamin B complex and Vitamin E on hand. I'm going to give the chick some via dropper as well as some sugar water. It's interested in food but not quite as quick on the uptake as its sibling. I thought I would cut up some tuna really small and encourage it to eat some for the selenium.

To my questions:

- Does anyone have any good resources/advice on checking for slipped tendon/s and if so, how to correct this?
- How long should the sandals stay on? It will be 24 hours this evening.
- Is there anything else I can do to support the chick to develop properly? I read about someone putting paper towel in a cup and putting the chick in the cup for "exercise sessions" to encourage correct position of the legs.

I'm going to keep them all inside until we have dryer weather and until I'm confident the second chick can keep up.

Thank you so much

 

[Saaniya]

So this is about the chick my broody hatched (or rather incubated and then didn't hatch). I wrote two other threads here and here.

In short, my broody hen Yinny was sitting on two eggs. One hatched, the other took longer and she left the nest whilst it was externally pipped. I assisted the chick to hatch. Unfortunately its feet and toes were curled in and it was walking on the outside edges of its feet. It was also splaying its legs a little and one leg was getting stuck behind it.

I made little sandals for the chick to correct the feet. Just plastic disks wrapped in vetwrap and then strapped under the feet, around the toes and secured at the ankle. Beautiful Yinny accepted the second chick and because it's really wet outside, I've set them up inside. The chick is already moving better, but it sits down on its hocks. I'm not sure if this is because of the sandal design (there's no back to the sandals, they are just a flat disk) or something else. There is less splaying and the leg does not seem to be getting stuck behind as much.

I have Vitamin B complex and Vitamin E on hand. I'm going to give the chick some via dropper as well as some sugar water. It's interested in food but not quite as quick on the uptake as its sibling. I thought I would cut up some tuna really small and encourage it to eat some for the selenium.

To my questions:

- Does anyone have any good resources/advice on checking for slipped tendon/s and if so, how to correct this?
- How long should the sandals stay on? It will be 24 hours this evening.
- Is there anything else I can do to support the chick to develop properly? I read about someone putting paper towel in a cup and putting the chick in the cup for "exercise sessions" to encourage correct position of the legs.

I'm going to keep them all inside until we have dryer weather and until I'm confident the second chick can keep up.

Thank you so much

aww how cute they are
i am tagging someone experienced @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

 

[Lillith37]

This is a photo of what the legs look like from the back, and a video of the chick getting around.

@azygous if you have any thoughts or advice? I would greatly value your input.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The chick looks to be moving around fairly well.

I'd definitely give B-Complex and the Vitamin E won't hurt. Egg contains selenium too, so you can also give bits of that as well. For tiny chicks I usually hard boil, then crumble the yolk very fine, they don't seem to like the hard boiled whites.

For feed, grind it up to a powder to it's easier to eat for a few days or you can soak it in warm water and feed as a mash. This is what I do for just hatched chicks.

If you feel she needs a chick chair you can try making one and place her in it, but if she's up and moving, it may not be needed.

The chicks are adorable! I hope she makes it.

Chick chairs:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

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

Good info about various leg issues/treatments, etc.:
http://www.poultrypedia.com/poultry-podiatry

 

[Lillith37]

Thanks for your reply @Wyorp Rock.

I'm concluding from my research that the chick doesn't have a slipped tendon which is the most concerning possibility. Seems like it would be in a lot more pain and a lot less mobile.

That article about poultry podiatry is excellent! I'm bookmarking it for future reference. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

[Lillith37]

This evening after it had been 24 hours I took the sandals off the chick. One foot is nearly completely improved, the other still has a bit of a twist to it. But the chick can put both feet flat on the ground which is awesome.

What I realised is that the chick has duck foot, where the back toe is rotated to point to the front. It’s mostly noticeable on the bad foot but mildly present on the other foot too. I think this is why it is sitting on it’s hocks, because it can’t balance without the back toes.

This is the section of the poultry podiatry site that addresses duck foot. The thing is, I’m not exactly sure how to tape it or how to fashion the sandal so to keep the back toe in the right position… I’ll make another thread for this specifically in hope of guidance.

 

[Lillith37]

At just under two days old… after three iterations of sandals/wrappings… and frequent offerings of vitamin B, vitamin E, sugar water, mashed chick food and crumbled hard boiled egg yolks… we have a chick who can stand and walk!

I’m completely blown away by this chick’s resilience and how quickly positive change has occurred.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

At just under two days old… after three iterations of sandals/wrappings… and frequent offerings of vitamin B, vitamin E, sugar water, mashed chick food and crumbled hard boiled egg yolks… we have a chick who can stand and walk!

I’m completely blown away by this chick’s resilience and how quickly positive change has occurred.

Good news! I'm glad she's improving.