Peachick with leg sticking straight out?

[KsKingBee]

I have 8 in this hatch. I don’t know why, but this week’s hatch every chick had something to be fixed on it. Crooked toes, splayed legs, slipped tendon, and two with this problem. I’m working on everybody. Hope I can save them all.

It has been an awful year for all of those problems here too. You did a good job on taping the bird to the board, we have been doing a lot of them that way too this year. You might look at the surface of the hatcher, that normally is because of too slick of a surface when they are hatching out.

 

[AB03Sam]

It has been an awful year for all of those problems here too. You did a good job on taping the bird to the board, we have been doing a lot of them that way too this year. You might look at the surface of the hatcher, that normally is because of too slick of a surface when they are hatching out.

I’m glad you said I was doing the right thing because I wasn’t sure. How long do you normally leave them taped to the cardboard?

 

[KsKingBee]

I’m glad you said I was doing the right thing because I wasn’t sure. How long do you normally leave them taped to the cardboard?

24 hours normally is long enough for splayed legs. A slipped tendon is another matter and is handled differently.

 

[AB03Sam]

24 hours normally is long enough for splayed legs. A slipped tendon is another matter and is handled differently.

Ok, thank you. 24 hours appears to have been long enough for one of the chicks. I believe the other chick needs more time. I taped the slipped tendon chick the best I could. I tried to follow how the vet did the one I had last year.

 

[KsKingBee]

Ok, thank you. 24 hours appears to have been long enough for one of the chicks. I believe the other chick needs more time. I taped the slipped tendon chick the best I could. I tried to follow how the vet did the one I had last year.

The important part is to roll the tendon with your thumb and finger back into place while keeping the leg straight and then roll the tape in the same direction to keep the pressure on the side of the joint to keep it pushed back in the right place. Keep it straight back for a couple of days

 

[KsKingBee]

The last slipped tendon I did was very hard to bend after un-taping it. We had to massage and work the joint and the chick was a bit stiff-legged for a couple of days but then recovered completely.

 

[AB03Sam]

The last slipped tendon I did was very hard to bend after un-taping it. We had to massage and work the joint and the chick was a bit stiff-legged for a couple of days but then recovered completely.

Thanks for all of the information. I have a question. Why is it important for the leg to be straight? My vet taped the last one straight and then the chick drug the leg behind itself damaging its hip. Then the vet said there was nothing we could do to fix it so we had to put it down. I’m just trying to learn all I can.

 

[KsKingBee]

Thanks for all of the information. I have a question. Why is it important for the leg to be straight? My vet taped the last one straight and then the chick drug the leg behind itself damaging its hip. Then the vet said there was nothing we could do to fix it so we had to put it down. I’m just trying to learn all I can.

Yes that does happen but if you are working on it from day one you can usually fix it. We had one do that recently except we had to fix the splay first then the slipped hock. The bird did get a day between being taped to a board and then having the leg taped back. Being on the board is harder on them as they can not eat or drink easily. With the leg taped back they can hop around and get to food and water.

 

[AB03Sam]

Mostly good news to report. It appears that I was able to fix all but one of the chicks. One with its leg sticking straight out never responded to any of the treatments I tried and started to decline and sadly had to be put down. The other chick with its leg sticking straight out has made a full recovery. The slipped tendon chick seems to be on the mend as well. Untaped the leg tonight and its looking a little stiff, but moving around well. Fingers crossed that in a few days it will be completely recovered.

 

[007Sean]

I have 8 in this hatch. I don’t know why, but this week’s hatch every chick had something to be fixed on it. Crooked toes, splayed legs, slipped tendon, and two with this problem. I’m working on everybody. Hope I can save them all.

Too high of temperature and high humidity can contribute to crooked toes and splayed legs. You might want to get an independent hygrometer and salt test calibrate it and a reliable, accurate independent thermometer that has been calibrated.
I have a friend who raises peafowl, and she too has had a abnormal amount of chicks with leg problems this year.