Spraddle Legs Causes???????????

[NancyinAlaska]

Just hatched Ameraucana chicks, 5 have spraddle leg, culled 3. I used a rubber type shelf paper on the floor of the incubator, I've had some slipped tendons, so I was told to put that down to prevent problems, also have it on the floor of the brooder, so the chicks legs CANNOT slip.
Any ideas on what causes this devastating problem???

 

[wegotchickens]

Sometimes a vitamin deficiency. I give my chicks polyvisol (the w/out iron) in their water for the first 5-10 days of their lives. Helps with lots of issues.

 

[NancyinAlaska]

I always put vitamins and electrolytes in water for the 1st 2 weeks. Have a friend coming out today and have asked her to try and find the polyvisol for me.......THANKS!

 

[wegotchickens]

Most grocery store have polyvisol in the vtamin section. It's a liquid baby vitamin, but just make sure its the NO IRON variety.

I used to use band-aids for spraddle leg but have stopped. If the vitamins and TLC from me don't cure the issue then I cull.

I'm very happy because a late silkie hatchling with terribly curled claws has recoved thanks to polyvisol and 'foot massages'. It's warm enough here that I put her out in the grass with her hatch buddies for an afternoon and the extra exercise finished straightening her feet. I was so grateful!

 

[Katy]

I don't know if the cause is genetic or not, but that is one reason I cull instead of "fix" chicks with problems like that. Seems to me everyone is more concerned with saving every chick that hatches and keeping them in the gene pool despite having major flaws rather than making sure that only the strongest survive to reproduce.

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
That's why I only use vitamins and a little therapy, now. I do cull when necessary and do not save a chick that I don't think should be bred due to genetic flaws.

In this case, though, I figure I set up unnatural conditions by using an incubator, so I need to give the chick a bit of a chance and a little help. I no longer use band-aids or make little sandals or anything like that. But I do think that if mama hen had hatched this chick it would have been closer to fine and able to keep up with her. And who knows what kind of minerals and such mama hens lead the chicks to after they hatch?
So to me, vitamins and therapy are not too far out of whack. And a chick that doesn't respond within 7 days of such DOES get culled since I don't want them to suffer too long.

 

[Wynette]

According to my Avaian vet, specifically, low magnesium in breeder stock is the cause of slipped tendons.

 

[NancyinAlaska]

Well........... the polyvisol made it out to my house and I'll see what happens.......THANKS!

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:

Good luck with the little ones!!

That they are better soon.