Urgent: Splayed leg in day-old? Advice please!

[Cassandra Lana]

As can be seen I've tried using elastic... nothing appears to be happening, the leg (whilst a little better, it's not out to one side it's more aligned with the front now) is still not great at all... please help, I don't want to lose the only chick...

I read in a book by Melissa Caughey that you can use medical tape .

 

[FloorCandy]

It looks like the weak leg may have some curled toes going on, which makes it hard to get a grip. In a non spraddle chick, that level of curl would correct itself on nonslip shelf liner, but limiting its movement might make the toes not spread properly, you might consider correcting the toes.

For the splay, I use chick rubber leg bands and loop them together. You want them far enough apart that the legs are directly below the hip. Here’s a post I made (mine is a quail, but the treatment is the same for larger birds, just need a wider chain of bands):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-i-fix-splayed-legs.1439605/#post-23861169

 

[My Pretty Pekins]

It looks like the weak leg may have some curled toes going on, which makes it hard to get a grip. In a non spraddle chick, that level of curl would correct itself on nonslip shelf liner, but limiting its movement might make the toes not spread properly, you might consider correcting the toes.

For the splay, I use chick rubber leg bands and loop them together. You want them far enough apart that the legs are directly below the hip. Here’s a post I made (mine is a quail, but the treatment is the same for larger birds, just need a wider chain of bands):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-i-fix-splayed-legs.1439605/#post-23861169

Thanks for the tip! I noticed the same and have used a tutorial I also found on here with medical tape to correct the curled toes.

 

[Winter Creek Coop]

Thank you, did you ever manage to fix the splayed leg? What did you use?

No. She never recovered.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

It looks like the weak leg may have some curled toes going on,

I also thought I see curled toe on the one side. *Seems* like the leg might be most pressing of the two matters?? I'm just asking questions/having conversation, NOT disagreeing on your thoughts or suggestions.. and VALUE your observations and input!

That's why I thought the vitamins might be helpful. But I was't 100% sure if it was curled or just from how the leg was bent. It good to have a community to come together and share,

Did you ever identified the cause of your splay legs in your quail? Do you breed/hatch from the ones you fix? How often is it popping up? Please understand I'm trying to learn something NOT be judgmental or rude!

 

[FloorCandy]

I also thought I see curled toe on the one side. *Seems* like the leg might be most pressing of the two matters?? I'm just asking questions/having conversation, NOT disagreeing on your thoughts or suggestions.. and VALUE your observations and input!

That's why I thought the vitamins might be helpful. But I was't 100% sure if it was curled or just from how the leg was bent. It good to have a community to come together and share,

Did you ever identified the cause of your splay legs in your quail? Do you breed/hatch from the ones you fix? How often is it popping up? Please understand I'm trying to learn something NOT be judgmental or rude!

The one that I had photographed for my fix hatched out of the side of the egg and had a real struggle. I hatched about 80 that batch and 2 hatched from the side, and one had splay and the other curled toes on 1 foot.

In the case of the chick from the OP here, I personally would fix both at once because the window for repair is short, and the sooner you correct it while they’re small and the legs are softer and more malleable, the better chance of total recovery. My splay chick from the photo can’t be distinguished from the other 23 hens now several weeks old. If you had a whole hatch of issues I’d say check your breeding stock, but one out of dozens is probably egg positioning, as this chick seemed to hatch with the leg already sideways from the egg. I hatched probably over 1000 eggs last year, and had maybe 3-4 splays, and a few curled toes from my homegrowns.

I did order eggs, which hatched with multiple splays, curled toes, crossed legs, etc, and then I lost several over the first week to slipped tendons. Someone I know in vet school told me that was classic signs of poor nutrition in the parents. My next generation of the survivors bred to my home growns had no defects at all in about 150 chicks. So I tend to think the nutrition of the original parents did play a part.

 

[My Pretty Pekins]

The one that I had photographed for my fix hatched out of the side of the egg and had a real struggle. I hatched about 80 that batch and 2 hatched from the side, and one had splay and the other curled toes on 1 foot.

In the case of the chick from the OP here, I personally would fix both at once because the window for repair is short, and the sooner you correct it while they’re small and the legs are softer and more malleable, the better chance of total recovery. My splay chick from the photo can’t be distinguished from the other 23 hens now several weeks old. If you had a whole hatch of issues I’d say check your breeding stock, but one out of dozens is probably egg positioning, as this chick seemed to hatch with the leg already sideways from the egg. I hatched probably over 1000 eggs last year, and had maybe 3-4 splays, and a few curled toes from my homegrowns.

I did order eggs, which hatched with multiple splays, curled toes, crossed legs, etc, and then I lost several over the first week to slipped tendons. Someone I know in vet school told me that was classic signs of poor nutrition in the parents. My next generation of the survivors bred to my home growns had no defects at all in about 150 chicks. So I tend to think the nutrition of the original parents did play a part.

I have fixed up both - there's a hobble/brace on the legs and I have used medical tape as recommended in an article on here on the curled toes. S/he does seem to be doing reasonably better.

For starters, the leg is much more controlled, and when s/he isn't in a cup it's held much closer to where it ought to be. It's still not *quite* there, but I don't expect miracles right away! The feet I'll leave for a few days before removing the tape, and update with progress.

 

[TexasTurkeyMama]

Hi. From Gail Damerow's book: Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, pages 333-335. Crooked toes and splayed legs are bandaged and hobbled. There are illustrations.
We never tried to straighten crooked toes, but we have successfully hobbled our "Superchicks" who made good recoveries. We kept them in the brooder box but in their separate area with their own water and food. They could see and hear their clutchmates.
If you are handraising your chick you may just consider keeping "her" inside with you until
your nearest Tractor Supply has some chicks to buy.

 

[FloorCandy]

I have fixed up both - there's a hobble/brace on the legs and I have used medical tape as recommended in an article on here on the curled toes. S/he does seem to be doing reasonably better.

For starters, the leg is much more controlled, and when s/he isn't in a cup it's held much closer to where it ought to be. It's still not *quite* there, but I don't expect miracles right away! The feet I'll leave for a few days before removing the tape, and update with progress.

Usually one day of taping the toes will have them straight.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

the window for repair is short, and the sooner you correct it while they’re small and the legs are softer and more malleable, the better chance of total recovery

Agreed!

your nearest Tractor Supply has some chicks to buy.

Most of my local feed stores do start getting chicks this time of year!

I have gotten a friend and then had the original not make it.

All we can do is try our best!