How to Fix Splay Leg: One Little Chick's Story

One Little Chick's Story 

In my post on From Candling to Hatching: Chronicle of Our 2020 Hatchings, our super successful 2020 chick hatchings, I had a little babe suffering with splay leg. Splay leg is also known as straddle leg and is when a chick's little legs are spread too far apart or unbalanced and the chick has difficulty walking. You can read more about it here.

How to Fix It

Following instructions and suggestions I'd read about on other blogs and chicken sites, I decided to use self-adherent wrap and cut it to fit the legs of the chick.

I brought her inside and gave her a solid flooring in the tub to ensure she wouldn't slip. I used easy liner shelf grip from Walmart. 

I gave her a water feeder with rocks in it to ensure she wouldn't fall in and drown. I added some soft dusters so she wouldn't feel alone, and I brought in one other little chick to keep her company.

They both got plenty of attention and love.

Counting the two we brought inside, our first Mama had 7 chicks in total from the 2020 hatchings seen in Candling to Hatching. Only one baby had any issues and that was the splay leg.

I was so amazed how the wrap helped her walk normally. It was a learning experience, and I was lucky that it worked out for her.