treating splayed legs

[nipper123]

I am having suspicion’s that one of our chicks is developing “splayed legs” he is very young yet but his legs certainly don’t look right. There are still unhatched eggs in the box and I have introduced larger dummy eggs but its mother is one that removes every trace of bedding as fast as I can replace it. She has successfully raised chicks before.
With this in mind I have been trying to think of a suitable materiel to use as a splint. I don’t fancy string as it’s fiddly and could tangle.
I have come up with the idea that a strip of latex rubber might be ideal; it is strong yet very flexible, easily cleaned and hygienic. So with this in mind I pinched one of Milo’s old dog toys (the thin flexible latex type not the rubber type) and cut out a strip about 1.25 inches x 0.75 inch.


Into this I made two holes about 0.5 -0.75 inch apart. Working on the internal measurement of a budgie ring, I made these holes 4 mm in diameter

The very nature of this material allows the holes to be easily stretched over the chicks legs and is flexible enough not to cut of circulation.
The only reservation I have is the smell of the latex may be offputting to the hen.
I will fit this in the next day or two and keep you updated on the progress.
your thoughts please?? and Does anyone know the best age to fit the splint??
Fingers crossed
Paul

[barrieshutt]

The best age is when your suspicions are confirmed Paul , using the latex i would rub some of the nest box contents over it before fitting

[stace]

Rachael did a sticky on splayed legs and she used a make-up sponge. Those sponges won't smell like latex does.

[Marianne Marlow]

Here is Rachels thread: budgerigarsforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=budgiehealth&action=display&thread=620

[nigelsstud]

the bird will never be right either he will have a severe limp or one wing will be lower than the other effectivly his pelvis will have been deformed , the old way of saving a chick was to put 2 BS rings one on each leg then cotton thread between them ( I have one now if it wasnt that he was out of quality birds sadly he would have died ) leave the thread in place for a week

hope this helps

[perequito]

Hi there, thanks for very interesting thread! I have had a couple of splay leg babies (mainly from a verrrry large tight-sitting hen) & I've had a few 'near misses'. For the worst one I made some little wool hobbles & it totally recovered. After that I used a deeper concave nestblock for that hen & check babies daily. If I see a baby looking a bit suspect I immediately add some 'coconut matting' to the box - the type used to line hanging baskets. This has worked really well - gives all the babies a better grip & that seems to strengthen their legs & corrects the problem quickly if caught in time. ;D

[bizzly]

I have used the make up sponge method, and it worked great.