How do I fix splay leg?

The Classroom @ The Coop: Incubation/Raising Chicks: How do I fix splay leg?
By Heidi on Sunday, April 21, 2002 - 05:21 pm:

I have a Bantam Silkie hen that hatched out 5 eggs, all healthy & beautiful. The last egg (the 6th) was pipping for 3o hours so I helped the chick hatch out. I took off the top of the egg but left his little butt in the bottom of the egg. Today I checked him and he looks to be splay legged. I have never had this happen before. I had a diagram in my Storey's Raising Duck book, but no reference in my chicken books. I have placed very carefully a small piece of wool to try to bring the legs together. Should this be placed above the joint or below the leg joint? He looks so helpless, I hope I can save it. He cannot keep up with his siblings!

By Cjeanr on Sunday, April 21, 2002 - 09:01 pm:

Heidi, I tape the legs in position--and had two to do in the last two hatches--you cannot tell which chicks were troubled! But I just found a website that has pictures to guide you--excellent! Better than trying to describe. Just tape over the feathered legs:

http://www.dashlink.com/~rockingt/helppages.html

Only takes a couple of days. And you do not need to separate him from the others.If not successful the first try, it can immediately be done again. Good luck!! CJR

By Aram_Seattle on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 01:49 pm:

CJ, that's an excellent site. Do you find that chicks with such leg problems give of inferior progeny or is this mostly an envornmentaly caused thing and parents have nothing to do with it?

By Cjeanr on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 02:23 am:

Aram, Have never found it an inherited trait, nor had any problems with the corrected, mature birds reproducing the problem. Believe it has to do with development during incubation. And this could even be from nutrition of parent birds,with that particutlar egg, as I find that a drop of codliveroil for the baby chick, 1 or 2 days also helps the recovery. (Vit A-D). I may be wrong, but feel the hip bone socket has not finished and just a little time, with support completes it. Just my theory. In any case, if the support is given right away, it is effective in most chicks. Whatever works??? CJR

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