Silkie chick with twisted foot

[UrbanFarmChix]

I have a silkie chick 6 days old. First it was showing spraddle leg. So did the bandaid treatment. We are still using this. However its right foot is turned at a right angle to its body. How do I fix it?

 

[Southern Chickens]

I had only one hatch an she has a bum leg. i say that she stands fancy! Her left legs goes out from the side of her body! It seems like it is a dead limb. No movement in it.

 

[UrbanFarmChix]

She has movement of her foot and leg. But it seems to get worse each day not better. Now it's starting to point backwards.

I'm still treating her as if its spraddle leg. I'm very worried and frustrated.

 

[meriruka]

If the leg is not broken, try a splint and tape it all up so the leg & foot points correctly..........

 

[koral280]

We have had this problem a little more than we wish. Our research and from what other's have told us, this is caused by a lack of vitamin D/sunlight. We have never had any luck with actually correcting the leg twist but the chicks have lived. (we're not the type who can just cull our flock if they're doing ok). So long as they're not kept with other aggresive siblings, they seem to do ok. Unfortunately, if both legs start to twist, it's most humane to put them down as they would spend their short lives on their bellies which is extremely unhealthy and I would imagine miserable. My husband is the tender of our flock so I will be happy to ask him what he did to try to stop the leg problem before it went too extreme. Email me and I'll get back to you!

Best of luck!

Kat

 

[koral280]

OK, it's not great news but it's worth a try. What type of light are you using for a heat source? Is it a sunlamp or a just a plain old light bulb? The best thing to do to help is offer more sunlight. My husband also crushed up Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 and added it to the water along with some flavorless Pedia Light. Rodney said he's never had any luck reversing the problem but the vitamins have slowed the twisting process so the leg doesn't completely twist. Best of luck!!!

 

[UrbanFarmChix]

I've sent you an e-mail. We've got her on a poultry vit/electrolite mix that has vit D. But any help would be appreciated. I think I need a way to splint the foot in the right direction. I wish I could find some good pictures. I've sarched under "splint" but so far no luck.