Poult Leg Problem - ANY help appreciated!!

[SonnyGirl]

So one of my four new poults (first time hatching and earlier than expected!!) has a leg issue. It's not splayed legs (where he looks like he's doing a full split), but rather sort of looks like the opposite - where his legs seemed scissored out too far apart. He can't really walk, more like pile-drives himself through the cedar shavings and frequently tips over. He's learning how to right himself better though and he's otherwise fine! And he was more slow to learn, but he is eating and drinking. Also - even though the leg has issues, it seems strong and he does push off with it. I tried to do the recommended treatment for splayed legs but it only seemed to impede him worse and a friend of mine (who raises turkeys) said that wouldn't work for his leg issue. So - please, is there anything I can do?? I tried to hold him in the correct position to try to get it to "set" right.. but the back leg often shakes when he's laying on it so I stopped that. Started thinking, maybe staying OFF it would help? I saw something about a "chick chair" where they're in a sling and their legs just hang down under them. I am willing to try anything and put the time into him. He also sort of uses my hand as a sling... he always shoves himself onto it and leaves his back leg lightly touching the ground. Anyone??

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

I wrap them in washrag folded like newborn baby wrap . If they are older I wrap them in coban with small hole cut for legs on first layer to keep it in place then I fold their legs like sitting up under them and put them in protected heat same environment and give them food and water drinks and eats at times (the incubator has constant right temp) and after bout 12 hours sometimes longer their legs will be fine. Weak at first but heading right way. I make sure I have like small handtowel or rough washcloth for them to walk on cause slick probably caused it or some have just been little weak at birth or in egg too long. I like to give them drinks of water with little sugar added gives them strength when like this.

 

[SonnyGirl]

thank you so much!! I've been doting over him like a neurotic mother... hand-feeding him often (cause he falls in the dish) and holding him to take drinks. I've been giving him attention, putting him in comfortable positions, helping him walk upright when he wants to move about. Today, I saw improvement!! He's learning to stand upright with balance and he's learned how to not tip into the food dish (unless someone wizzes by and knocks him over!). He DEF sticks up for himself and is not getting picked on. Also - he is learning to do little sprints by balancing and flapping his little wings!! Do you think I should still do some sort of wrap, as a preventative to make sure his leg sets totally straight?? It looks like he's actually starting to pull it under his body in more, not JUST use other parts of his body to compensate. Also - thank you for the sugar suggestion! Can you give me an idea of how much sugar to water? And can the others drink this or should I just give it to him? I have made very sure of NO slick surfaces.. even under their thick pine shavings, there is a thick fulffy towel for traction so I think it might have been what you said about the egg :/
Thanks so much again for taking the time to help!! I'd be lost without help on this forum

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

absolutely, I would wrap him little while. That makes the tendons go back in alignment faster. It does work. I have never had one it did not work on and i have hatched alot of turkeys over the years. If he is too strong cut small holes to put his legs through then wrap him so he cannot kick it off and pull both legs up close to his body and wrap him couple hours and he should be weak but walking. Make sure he isn't getting too hot or too cold where you lay him in the wrap. 2 tsp per 1 quart and like sprinkle salt in water too about pinchand I will sprinkle sugar around bottom of waterer for them where they drink. Turkeys always get hypoglycemic (Low blood sugar)first few days and that is biggest killer of baby turkeys. I also will put 1/2 cc of tylan 200 in their waterer as preventive measure. Turkeys when first hatch will get cold and die within hour if they get sick so to do that for few days seems to help alot. For a turkey that is real weak 1 koolade scoop I will add few shakes of salt or pinch and 1 1/2 tsp sugar. I give weak babies drinks of that is comparible to IV for baby chicks, turkey poults,ducks, and geese. Makes them stronger

 

[Cold Canadian]

If I may ask , how was it when it was born ? I have been having problems with chicks being born that can't seem to stand up as well .They push a little and then fall over and can't seem to get up with out help .So far I have two alive out of nine ? Not good in anyones book .I just can't figure out what is the problem , heat is good ,humidity is good ,so I don't know anymore !

 

[SonnyGirl]

awwww I am SO sorry to hear about your chicks.. I know how hard it is to lose any!! Mine seem to be fine when they are born.. I'm hatching them under then hen but have had to bring them in to a brooder because I was a little under-prepared (earlier hatch than expected!!) in securing the nest area (from anyone falling) and now I certainly can't do construction up there.. There was a little bit of a "blood residue" look to the inside of a couple egg shells, so I'm guessing a couple were a tiny bit early. Not an expert though. My guy with the "scissored legs" is doing better today.. getting stronger. But I really had to hand-feed and hand-water him a lot at first because he was slower to learn things since he couldn't walk. I've also been spending a ridiculous amount of time holding him in a comfortable position, propping his chest on my finger to let him lean on so he could figure out how to walk, get his legs together under him, etc. The advice I was just given sounds good! Mine is definitely not dying or sick though - I can tell. If yours seem sick or really weak, you might have a different problem entirely and I would post a new thread so as many people as possible can see it and respond! Also - if they seem fine at first and then get weak, they might not be able to get proper nourishment and if you can't spend the time to hand-feed them all the time, you might want to figure something else out. I'm sure there is some good advice on here for that too! oh, and with mine, it was hard to get him to drink at first... so I just fed him some REALLY wet food on my fingers until he learned to peck from the dish! I'm so not an expert here - only been raising a few turkeys the last year - but if you need any advice with tips to get them to eat or drink or anything, feel free to PM me and any suggestions I can offer, I will! BTW, I do think something else is going on cause I raised 3-day old poults last year (and raising fresh hatched this year) in a home-made brooder (rabbit cage with a heat lamp) and I don't even have moisture control or nothing and they've all been strong and growing FAST. Even the one with the leg is just as big as the rest and zipping around as best he can.

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

If I may ask , how was it when it was born ? I have been having problems with chicks being born that can't seem to stand up as well .They push a little and then fall over and can't seem to get up with out help .So far I have two alive out of nine ? Not good in anyones book .I just can't figure out what is the problem , heat is good ,humidity is good ,so I don't know anymore !

I had trouble one time with hatching and I had not washed the bottom of my incubator with bleach water and must have had a bacteria in it that was transferring to my chicks. After that I always wash with bleach water. Just a thought of what I had happen to me in case you needed to know that.

 

[Cold Canadian]

I thought I had cleaned it properly ? but I'll never not take good advice ,so thanks for the info .

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

Your welcome. I hope it helps. After I let bleach water soak for like 15 min I make sure I rinse it well. It is like night and day difference with hatches if that is problem. It took me more than one batch of failure to learn it. I had ordered quail eggs off person on ebay and those eggs I figuredout had bacteria that caused the problem. Of course all my babies hatching died even the good eggs. It was weird but I read on a site where they hatched eggs professionally before I figured out what was going on. I just learned to always use bleach water to clean them. I take 1/4 strength bleach water and put in mister bottle and spray the water tray and styrofoam down and let soak a while then I rinse it well and scrub it some. I also use comet or ajax now because of bleach in them to get rid of any bugs then I rinse well. Maybe I am too agressive with scrubbing but after I had them die and not hatch and be deformed I just am extra careful. I don't get the top part of incubator around electrical wet but I do take bleach water damp cloth and wipe them down then I take plain water cloth and wipe it down to rinse top part.

 

[baldwinmarty]

I wrap them in washrag folded like newborn baby wrap . If they are older I wrap them in coban with small hole cut for legs on first layer to keep it in place then I fold their legs like sitting up under them and put them in protected heat same environment and give them food and water drinks and eats at times (the incubator has constant right temp) and after bout 12 hours sometimes longer their legs will be fine. Weak at first but heading right way. I make sure I have like small handtowel or rough washcloth for them to walk on cause slick probably caused it or some have just been little weak at birth or in egg too long. I like to give them drinks of water with little sugar added gives them strength when like this.

I wrap them in washrag folded like newborn baby wrap . If they are older I wrap them in coban with small hole cut for legs on first layer to keep it in place then I fold their legs like sitting up under them and put them in protected heat same environment and give them food and water drinks and eats at times (the incubator has constant right temp) and after bout 12 hours sometimes longer their legs will be fine. Weak at first but heading right way. I make sure I have like small handtowel or rough washcloth for them to walk on cause slick probably caused it or some have just been little weak at birth or in egg too long. I like to give them drinks of water with little sugar added gives them strength when like this.

What is “coban”