Young Chick can't walk/Spraddle or Splay Leg Treatment
I am a first time chicken mama and I was so concerned when one of my barely 2 week old Lavender Orpingtons started to look very lethargic and couldn't walk so I went nuts looking for answers on the internet. I don't have a video, but as you can see in the first picture her leg would be stuck straight out so she couldn't lift herself up. Sometimes it can be one leg or both from what I saw on other people's posts. It could've been malnutrition because she was the runt or lack of warmth because she was 3 days late to the store from the postal service or it could've been a combination of things. Sometimes it can be a slipped tendon and it's especially important to correct this before it has any time to set. This was not the issue in my case, but there are a lot of helpful videos available on YouTube to determine if this may be the cause and how to fix it. Whatever the reason was for my chick's immobility here were a few things that helped her get back on her feet and develop into a healthy chick again. Thought I'd share what I learned from so many helpful folks online in case anyone else has this issue with any of their chicks.
Shopping List:
- Nutritional Yeast, Plain (Baking aisle or Natural foods/health aisle).
- Self Grip bandage (very cheap in the Pharmacy Department of most stores, doesn't stick to feathers).
- Nutri-drench (Tractor Supply).
- Chick Probiotics & Electrolytes (Tractor Supply) 1 pk of each mixed with a gallon of water - I'm giving this to all of the chicks along with a container of plain water.
- Non-medicated Started Feed (Tractor Supply).
Separated her from the rest of the flock, but with clear walls so she wouldn't get stressed about being completely alone. This way she didn't get injured and she had easy access to food and water nearby. After the first week, once I saw improvement, I'd put her in with the other chicks for about 15-20min at a time to socialize. If she wasn't walking yet I'd put back in her own area when I had to leave the house to avoid accidental injury. Once I saw she was able to bring herself to food and water even if it was wobbly at the start, I moved her back in with the other chicks, but kept her own water and food containers close to her at a level she could reach while sitting.
Just a few drops of Nutri-drench twice a day for the first week, once a day for the weeks to follow. To avoid asphyxiation I'd put the liquid carefully on the side of her beak to encourage her to swallow it on her own. (Thankfully it only took her 2 weeks to walk normally again and start eating and drinking on her own. I continued the Nutri-drench every other day for the week after she was walking just to be sure.).
Supply her with a container of regular water and a container of water with the Probiotics & Electrolytes mixed in.
I took her off the medicated starter feed because I read, "Medicated chick feed can potentially cause leg weakness, walking difficulties, or neurological issues in young chicks. This is rare but typically occurs because the medication—Amprolium—inhibits vitamin B1 (thiamine) absorption, which is essential for healthy nerve and muscle function, leading to temporary deficiency. When Amprolium prevents thiamine absorption, chicks can develop a severe deficiency, leading to curled toes, leg weakness, inability to walk, or paralysis." To offset this possible deficiency I supplemented her non-medicated food with Nutritional-Yeast - 1 Tbls per cup of starter feed.
I removed the starter chick grit because I read that brand new chicks don't need it to digest starter feed. They will need it when new foods and treats are added to their diet. Otherwise they can accidentally fill up on grit which has no nutritional value. I added it to their diet at 3 weeks old when I started giving them treats.
Soft scrambled egg once a day until she was walking again with a small amount of grit available nearby since I was introducing something else other than starter feed in her diet. I continued giving her soft scrambled eggs every other day for a week after she was walking again just to be sure she was getting extra nutrition for muscle growth.
Whenever I was home during the day I'd bring her water and food close to her to encourage her to drink and eat every couple of hours. Thankfully she had a healthy appetite even though she couldn't walk. If she didn't I would use a dropper to give her water and I'd mix her feed with a little lukewarm water and hold it up to her beak to encourage her to eat on her own, sometimes dipping her beak in it a little bit. When I was home during the day and at night I'd try to get her to eat whenever the other chicks were eating which was often.
Self grip bandage, skin colored so it wouldn't get unwanted attention from the other chicks. Cut into thin strips (I would cut the length I wanted and then cut it in half lengthwise so I'd have another one ready to go when it was time to change it). Wrap this around both legs below the ankle (hock) not too tight so it wouldn't cut off circulation, but it would keep the legs in the correct position until the muscles strengthened. This wrap (chick hobble)should be changed every couple of days so that you can change the distance of her legs based on her growth. You don't want them too far apart for inadequate support or too close together so she can't walk normally. If I wasn't at work during the day I'd take her out every few hours to stretch and massage her legs so they wouldn't get sore or stuck. I'd also put my fingers under her belly so she could balance and put weight on her legs to encourage muscle growth.
Once I saw improvement and she was taking a few steps at a time or she was attempting to stand I started putting her on the perch so she could balance and work on further strengthening her leg muscles.
After the first week I started taking the bandage wrap off and would hold her up on her feet to check how she was progressing and make sure her feet were in the right position and she was putting her body weight on her legs. I did this a few times a day until she was standing on her own without my help.
Final thoughts: I learned from other, more experienced chicken tenders that catching this early is crucial so that a baby chicks legs don't have a chance to grow improperly. They grow fast! With a little patience and a lot of love I hope that your baby chicks grow big and strong. 🥰🐥🐤 Maybe I was a little excessive in my treatment plan with it being my first time 😅 but this was my personal experience and what worked for me to get my splayed chick walking again, but please let me know if I left out anything important to consider!