Newborn Spraddle Leg? Help, please!

[WriterRiderChick]

Well, three of my six Silkie eggs (the ones left after the day 14 candling) finally hatched. It was a late hatch (day 23), and two of the chicks seem to have leg issues. One chick's toes are clenched/curled, and I'm wondering at what point I should address that.

Also, another chick has an issue where it's legs don't exactly splay out to the sides, but they camp way out in front of him, so he's sitting on his butt most of the time with those legs wide and out in front. Is this treated the same as spraddled legs (i.e. with the "hobble?")

Any and all advice is much appreciated. This is my first hatch, and I dearly want to do right by these babies. Thanks in advance!

 

[WillsMama93]

I think the earlier you address the curled toes, the better.. Electrical tape makes a good splint for curled toes, according to one of the other posts on the subject. maybe do a search on the message boards to find out how to splint the toes? I'm not sure about the leg thing though.

Good luck with your babies!

 

[HorseFeathers]

Some good advice for spraddle: http://www.poultryhelp.com/spraddle.html

 

[WriterRiderChick]

Thanks, Willsmama and Envirogirl! Yes, I've seen pictures of duct tape used as toe splints, but since these chicks are just going on a day old I wasn't sure if I should give those feet some time to uncurl.

Has anyone else dealt with these issues before?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I've never had the curled toes but I do know it needs addressed right off the bat...cardboard and taped....the spaddle leg the same as soon as you can get a bandaid fitted between the legs and leave for a acouple days...

Do a search in the blue for both, might be pics...

 

[WriterRiderChick]

Tuffoldhen, thanks so much! Well, I went ahead and splinted the little toes with electrical tape and hobbled the the other chick with vet wrap, which I use for horses usually, but which is great for feathered Silkie legs since it doesn't have any adhesive (and yet sticks to itself beautifully). The hobbled chick is still camped out in front, but hopefully he'll find his balance at some point.

Thanks, everyone, and keep that advice comin' if ya got it.

 

[WriterRiderChick]

Our spraddle-legged chick seems to be doing much better after only a day with the hobbles on, but I'm sorry to report we lost the little one with the curled toes. It was just too weak, and when we woke up this morning it had died.

 

[jaku]

Wow, this is exactly what one of my chicks is doing! I was worried it was sick. Gonna try the bandaid trick tomorrow. This site is great!

 

[Vanislandchick]

How long do you wait after your chicks hatch with a curled toe to see if it will straighten? I have one that is about 20 mins old and hardly dry yet but seems to have it's outermost toe a bit curled under

 

[juliette2009]

Here is another great site which addresses the leg problems of newborn baby chicks..

https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

Juliette