Splay legged chick, please advise.

[SistaChick]

My hen had her first batch of chicks. There were 8 eggs and they started hatching on Friday. 6 hatched and the 7th started Friday but didn't hatch completely until around evening time on Saturday. It happens to be splayed. I put a band-aid around his little legs to pull them together but he can't seem to get any where. I kept going out and checking on him and he is always alone and this last time he was laying on his back sort of in a hole that the chickens dug out and he couldn't get up. It scared me. It looked like he was shaking. It is very hot outside today, about 93 degrees so I brought him in. I want to try to wait until sometime tomorrow and see if his legs will start standing and allowing him to walk around. My question is will the momma hen take him back if he gets better?

 

[azjustin]

I have zero experience in this situation but a bit of education.

To answer your question: Maybe. But she probably won't care for a chick that can't survive on it's own.

If you have the time and will, nurse it back to health and see what happens. Worst case scenario is that you won't be able to re-integrate and have to give him away on CL.

Up to you, good luck.

 

[SistaChick]

azjustin, thank you for at least answering, I figured someone would chime in and give me a word of advice. This is my first hatching and the hen's first also, her being only a year old. So I was kind of left guessing other than researching to try to fix the legs. At this moment I do not see any improvement and if he doesn't improve I will have to cull him. I don't want to do that but I am now wondering if something else isn't going on. He flips and flops around on his belly and won't even try to get up. He is eating though and chirping up a storm. I have him in the house in a small cat carrier but I also have 3 cats and a doberman inside so it is not the best place to try to do this. Sigh.

 

[azjustin]

You're welcome!

It's hard when they don't well. I've given away many project chicks that I just don't have the time for, culled more than that. As long as it's eating and drinking, there's always a chance, albeit a very small one.

 

[xCombixGirlx]

I just had a splay legged chick in my new batch. before I go on let me say that my situation is a bit different. I have my hen and babies inside. I didn't have a separate pen to keep her in so I brought her into the house so that her eggs wouldn't get crushed by other chickens and so the babies would be okay and not fall out of the coop or anything. Anyways mine was born last, could only sort of scoot around on its butt. I fixed her up and she would try to walk but mostly just kept falling over while the other chicks would get up and were already eating and drinking away, it managed a little bit but not much. I left the bandage on for a little over 24 hours. At first it was little wobbly being so new and stuff but it started wobbling around and eating and drinking and later that day it was running around like crazy with the rest of them and now a week later jumps and runs all over like nothing was ever wrong. since you separated it. Leave it on for at least 24 hours before removing and then wait till a little while after dark and sneek it in under the mama if it is doing alright. You said she has other chicks correct? if so I assume they are the same age. Chickens can't count so as long as it seems to be walking alright the mama should take it right back in Good luck and keep us posted either way

 

[SistaChick]

Unfortunately the biddy didn't improve so we culled it. There was another one that had hatched along with it, matter of fact these two were the last to hatch out of 7 eggs. The splayed chick took over 24 hours. There was something going on with the other one also, although it was able to walk it was very small and I could tell it wasn't thriving one evening and by the following morning I found it dead. One chick disappeared that I can't account for (we think the barn cat got it). So out of 7 that hatched, 3 are gone. Sad. So I am now down to 4 but they are healthy strong baby chicks and momma is doing a fantastic job with them, they are so cute! (I rehomed the barn cat as I suspected he might do this before they were hatched because he loves the hunt. He carried in baby rabbits and things all the time.)

 

[SistaChick]

Opps, double post.

 

[xCombixGirlx]

dang that's sad to hear but glad the others are doing good