new chick crawling not walking - what do i do....

[new_chick]

hi everyone....
i have a chick thats a day old and ready to come out of the incubator...but its carwlign not walking - at first its legs were in a bent sort of sitting position but splayed out sideways right from the hips....and the 'elbows'/hocks are poking out behind it.... so i have strapped the legs together to hold the hips in but its hocks still poke out behine it and it sort of crawls using its wings too - but doesnt seem to want to sit up at all....
any advice?? thanks,.....

 

[birdlover]

I'm bumping up your post in hopes that somebody will come and explain how to treat splay leg. In the meantime, I'll see if I can find some info online. The sweet little thing sounds like she has a will to live.

Ellen

 

[birdlover]

Okay, I don't know what my darn husband has done to the computer but I can't seem to bring the link here the usual way. Try going to:

www.poultryhelp.com/spraddle.html

 

[new_chick]

well...chiks legs have been taped together for 2 days now - and they seem to be in the right position - but the chick is still not really helping itself up...shal i take the tape off now? will that make a difference? chick is 3 days old now....
thanks

 

[nhnanna]

I would leave it on for a few more days to be sure. I had one that kept getting out of the bandaids and now it hops around on one foot to get where it is going. It is smaller than the rest and eats and drinks on its own and the other ones seem to take care of it. It has become my special pet and talks to me everytime I go in the barn. DH says I should put it down but it seems to be doing ok so I let it be.

That is hoping that your little one does ok.

 

[bloomnbeauty]

I have a BR that has splayed legs. In my ignorance I didn't know that I could try to correct this so today she is still that way. I thought that if she had that strong will to live and could fend for herself as to getting food and water that she would live to a ripe old age. She is four months old now and I wish that I had culled her back then.
Today she has gotten much bigger and it is getting harder and harder for her to get around and it is a nightly ritual to listen to her cries of distress when everyone of her birth mates go to roost and leaves her on the ground because she cant get on the roost. After all these months of taking care of her and loving her I cant bring myself to cull her even though I know that is what SHOULD be done as her quality of life is deteriorating rapidly.
Hope this helps you reach your decision.

 

[new_chick]

ok well legs are taped together again - but its still not even sitting up really - never really lifts its head off the floor - i think its 4 days old now......any more advice??

 

[swtangel321]

can you get a pic of its leg problem ?

Does the chicke eat or drink ?

 

[sloallie10]

Get her crutches.....

Sorry about the chick!!

 

[verycherry]

Don't take the bandaids off too soon! I hope she starts holding her self up on her own soon, and then give it a few more days.

I had one chick, a white crested polish, that started this problem well after most do, at about a week or maybe two. I think it was because she is a bantam chicken and I put her in with larger standard chicks which were already a week old, and she liked to get underneath them. When I noticed it, I tried the bandaid but took it off too soon, after about 3 days, so she reverted back to scooting around under the others, and one leg joint (hock?) even started turning out to the side. I put the bandaids back on, and looked again after a few days, but same problem, the leg was out to the side and she couldn't walk. Just the past few days I noticed her standing well with the bandaids, (she's now in with some silkie chicks) but was so afraid to take the bandaids off. I was dreading what I'd find. I finally took them off last night, and I was so happy to see her walk that I had tears in my eyes. That one leg still bends out to the side just a little more than it should, so I put the bandaids back on and will keep it on a few more days just to see if it helps, but I'm so happy she can walk again!

I also have a D'Uccle that at about 4 weeks just started this too, after doing fine the first few weeks, but she was unusually tiny and week when I got her, and had the skinniest toes I'd ever seen, and would get off balance if another chick just breathed on her! Some of the other chicks would even pick at her toes. She came from a hatchery and still had part of an unabsorbed egg sack on her belly. None of the others were like this. She was so young (I guess she hatched too soon) she couldn't drink well without strangling and once even choked till she passed out, but I held her upside down and rubbed her belly until she blew bubbles and came to. We named her TROUBLE, and she is still living up to that name! She's about 5 weeks old now, and now has the bandaids on, but so far, after about 5 days, isn't showing any progress. I'm waiting and hoping that she'll come around like the polish, but she's still a little small for her age, so I worry. We have gotten soooo attached to her, being "the runt" and all. She's very VERY tame and spoiled as you can imagine. Well, out of 48 chickens, I guess a few are going to have some problems.

I've got all my fingers and toes crossed for Trouble and for your little one as well.