new one hatched TOO early!!! what to do?!?!?!?!?

[Denninmi]

Quote:
Oh, ok, I do kind of know. It's called "spraddle leg" -- the technical term may be spondylitis, although I've looked that up, and it's sort of the same idea, but not exactly the same kind of disorder, in humans.

Anyway, cardboard may be too slippery, and that contributes to the problem. You can correct this, but you have to do it right away. Otherwise the bird can be permanently crippled.

Check out this link -- it shows the condition and tells you what to do about it.

http://www.poultryhelp.com/spraddle.html

 

[silkieroo]

I have a chicken that has a "slip" as some people call it. As she has grown up it seems to have gotten better now all I see is an occasional slip from her!!

Hope the same happens to yours!!

-Maddie

 

[Rozzie]

Cardboard and newspaper are really to slippery for chicks. You are better off covering it with something else. In a BIG pinch, you could put down some paper towels until you get something else. Some people use old towels, but it is absolutely VITAL to make sure there are no loose strings they can get tangled in.

Rubber shelf/drawer liner is another good option http://www.organizeit.com/pogripitblk.asp?cmpid=gbase
This is just one example. You can get this stuff pretty much anywhere. I just bought 24 feet of it (12" wide) for $4 on sale at Home Depot today for my quail babies. This stuff will get messy but you can flip it over once, then take it out and hose it off and dry it in the shade. I'm not sure how it would handle being sanitized, though.

Some people just put a layer of pine shaving in. That's fine BUT I'd wait until the chicks are starting to eat first, so they learn to eat what food is with less confusion.

I think even a layer of the soft plastic super fine mesh window screen would be preferable to bare newspaper or cardboard. The holes are too small for their feet to get caught BUT it's textured so they won't slip.

(Don't use hardware wire or a larger screen/mesh. Chicks can't handle that at such a young age.)

 

[nicoletm24]

Quote:
Oh, ok, I do kind of know. It's called "spraddle leg" -- the technical term may be spondylitis, although I've looked that up, and it's sort of the same idea, but not exactly the same kind of disorder, in humans.

Anyway, cardboard may be too slippery, and that contributes to the problem. You can correct this, but you have to do it right away. Otherwise the bird can be permanently crippled.

Check out this link -- it shows the condition and tells you what to do about it.

http://www.poultryhelp.com/spraddle.html

THATS IT!!!! YOU'RE AWESOME!!!!
THANK YOU