Spraddle leg....

[Nicos]

OK- I'd like to take you through my adventures with spraddle leg.

Any advice/experiences is very much welcomed- we can all learn together here folks!!!!

I'll take piccies as I go along. Fingers crossed it works!
All info I've Googled seems to be about chicks which aren't with their mom. I really want to see if I can sort out the problem without creating an orphan- so we'll see!

As I'm out part of today and the other chick is hatching I'm going to leave it on shavings with it's mom and sibling/ egg. ( understand toe nails can catch in paper towels and cotton nappies/teatowels)

Here are the sites I've found
The first was is so informative about other leg problems too!!!

Treatments for Leg Problems in Chickens (Chicken Orthopedics)

Spraddle Legs - PoultryHelp.com - Your Best Online Source for Poultry Raising Information

BackYardChickens Forum / Do splayed legs ever fix by themself?

[RichmondHens]

Good luck with whatever you try. I would try taping it today, now, while mum is still firmly sitting on the other egg. Once they are up and about it won't be able to keep up with her and will get distressed.

I had a little Welsummer last year with splay leg. Tried taping but the chick got very distressed when mum went off with its siblings. Despite several attempts at taping the chick was clearly not happy and not feeding so I ended up culling it.

You may however be more successful.

[Nicos]

Last night it couldn't seem to get off it's belly when it was upright- both legs were out to the sides

This morning the legs seemed to be slightly improved without me intervening. It wanted to sit on it's haunches all the time , and when shoved , it waddled with it's feed wide apart ( what a relief)

We decided to leave it for another 6 hrs as we were going out and unable to keep a close eye on it with it's new strapping. When we returned the chick was very lively but no different.So it's now strapped- 2 of us to do it, and it was quick and simple although a little fiddly as we had to wrap kitchen roll round it's legs first to stop the tape sticking to the leg feathers.
....10 minutes later it was running around with it's feet in a much better position- and it was straightening it's legs to run.It even managed to jump up a 2cm step!

To encourage it moving we let it run with the chicks which are one week older- quite useful as they were demonstrating how to scratch and feed for the crumb I'd sprinkled for them.
Their mom was utterly confused at the extra chick but she let it snuggle underneath when the other chicks dived in for a snuggle.
At that point we put it back with it's 'real' mom.

Yes it did do a few head dives trying to get it's balance....but I have a feeling this just might work out fine!!!

( piccies taken- will try and post soon!)

[Nicos]

Walking upright tonight!!!

-splint nicely in place , and chick tucked up for the night (with mom and new sibling) for a well earned rest!!

[frias]

That's good news.

[HayleyB]

I was gonna say splint with plaster but sounds like it's ok now, well done

[Jeanied]

Nicos' picture of chick with spraddle leg
One day old...a few hours earlier its legs were almost horizontal!

[Nicos]

Nicos' picture of chick with spraddle leg
One day old...a few hours earlier its legs were almost horizontal!

Thank you sweetie!!!...I meant to send you one with it fully 'cured!'...oops!

BUT- it was well worth doing! -you'd never have known that 3 days earlier it was sat on it's belly with legs horizontally out sideways!!

[petal]

Well done, we splinted a salmon faverolle with a plaster and its amazing how they cope at the time. Unfortunately he had to be put down at 4 months anyway as his legs started to grow wonky(Monkey he was called), to be honest any with this problem in the future will be culled immediately, but that is my experience and decision and your chick might be fine.

[Nicos]

Fingers crossed then!

( if it's a male it'll be eaten anyway!)

[NSB]

Ive done that to my chicks with the tape and they were fine, I left mine on for a week

[Nicos]

, I left mine on for a week

I was sort of expecting that too!
BUT- the chick had been standing in about 3mm of water I'd left out for them to drink..yup it'd come unstuck.
I'd got the tape ready to redo it when OH came back from work, but noticed the chick happily ruinning around perfectly balanced!
I am keeping a close eye on it though

[walldanzig]

just wanted to say thanks to all who contributed to this thread as of today you have helped cure a spraddle legged jersey giant