How to Treat Splay Leg in Chicks

How to Treat Splay Leg in Chicks
by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | May 2, 2023
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Splay leg is a condition that will cause a chick to not be able to stand and walk properly. It is an unhealthy condition that can even lead to death if the splay leg is not addressed quickly. However, splay leg can be fixed in young chicks, and chicks who recover can mature into healthy, productive adults. Learning how to recognize the early signs of splay leg, treat splay leg properly, and prevent splay leg in the homestead brood will help you raise a healthy batch of chicks this spring!

What is Splay Leg?

Splay leg is a developmental abnormality that affects young chicks. It can develop shortly after a chick hatches or it can develop later as the chick matures. Splay leg is not a condition that affects older chickens. It is usually most common in chicks up to 1 week of age. If the condition is not treated in time or not treated correctly, the chick may have difficulty walking for the rest of its life. Adult chickens with splay leg only result if they were not treated as chicks.

Splay leg is sometimes referred to as spraddle leg or splayed legs. It can affect one or both legs of a chick. However, splay leg most commonly affects both legs at the same time. Splay leg causes a chick’s legs to extend outwards from the body. The condition makes the chick look like it is doing the splits and usually prevents a chick from moving around properly.

Splay leg cases can range from mild to severe. A chick that has mild splay leg may still be able to hobble around, but its legs will be angled outwards, making it waddle rather than walk. Severe cases of splay leg prevent a chick from standing up and its legs will point outwards at severe angles.

Since splay leg prevents a chick from moving around, the chick may get chilled, bullied, trampled, or not be able to eat and drink properly. Splay leg can lead to death if the chick is not able to get nourishment.

Causes of Splay Leg in Chicks

There are several reasons why a chick may develop splay leg. Splay leg can be caused by factors during incubation or after the chick hatches. Here are some common causes of splay in chicks:

• Incubating Conditions– Fluctuations in the temperature during incubation or high humidity levels during incubation can cause muscles, bones, and tendons to develop abnormally and result in chicks with splay leg.
• Hatching Conditions– Temperatures that are too high or too low during hatch can cause hatchlings to develop splay leg. General guidelines for hatching temperatures are 99.5°F for forced draft incubators and 100-101°F for still air incubators.
• Breeder Diet– If the breeding flock’s diet is not sufficient in nutrients, the offspring are more likely to hatch with malformities (like splay leg) or deficiencies. A layer diet usually does not contain sufficient nutrients for hatching eggs to develop properly. A vitamin B deficiency in the breeding flock can lead to malformities in the hatched chicks.
• Slippery Floor– A slippery floor in the incubator or brooder can prevent young chicks from getting traction as they try to stand. If their legs slide out from under them it can cause their leg muscles to not strengthen properly, resulting in splay leg.

If a chick hatches with splay leg, then the cause is probably from a poor breeder diet, incubating conditions, or hatching conditions. Although a slippery incubator floor can also cause a chick to appear to have splay leg directly from hatch. If a chick develops splay leg after hatching, the cause is probably from a slippery brooder floor or a poor breeder diet.

Slipped Tendon vs Splay Leg

Another leg deformity that can affect young chicks is called slipped tendon. Slipped tendon is a metabolic deformity that results from a deficiency in B-vitamins, choline, or manganese. A breeder diet deficient in vitamins can cause chicks to hatch with a slipped tendon. Chicks who’s diet are vitamin deficient can get slipped tendon as well.

A slipped tendon is when a chick’s long leg bones are shorter than normal. The hock joint then becomes swollen, flattens, and rotates out of joint. Eventually the tendon in the leg separates from the joint and causes the chick’s whole leg to point diagonally backward. A slipped tendon in one or both legs will prevent a chick from moving properly and eating and drinking.

A slipped tendon is most likely to appear in chicks under 6 weeks of age. However, it rarely shows up in newly hatched chicks right away. Here are some ways to distinguish between slipped tendon and splay leg in chicks:

• Leg Position– A slipped tendon will cause the leg(s) to angle backward behind the chick’s body. Splay leg causes the legs to angle outwards from the body.
• Legs Affected– Splay leg usually affects both legs. A slipped tendon usually only occurs in one leg, although it can occur in both legs.
• Age– Splay leg can appear in newly hatched chicks. Slipped tendon will appear later as the chick matures.

How to Treat Splay Leg in Chicks

Thankfully, fixing splay in chicks is a fairly simple task. Splay leg will be easier to treat and will heal faster if you are able to recognize and treat the condition as soon as possible. Basically, splay leg in chicks can be treated by providing leg stabilization during early growth. This can be done by hobbling the chick and gently pulling its legs into the proper standing position.

The sooner the stabilization is provided, the less painful it will be for the chick. The chick’s leg muscles will have less time to develop in the non-normal ‘splay’ position the sooner the stabilization is applied. Leg stabilization devices range from band-aids to rubber bands, to tape, yarn, or vetwrap.

The ideal leg stabilization material should allow some flexibility for the chick to learn how to walk properly while still being hobbled. The material should also not cause damage to the chick’s sensitive skin or fluffy down feathers. Lastly, the hobble should not restrict circulation to the legs of the chick.

I like to use a combination of vetwrap and tape. The Vetwrap is soft, flexible, and easy to work with. I use the tape to secure the Vetwrap between the chick’s legs. That way the hobble does not come undone as the chick walks.

How to Hobble a Splay Leg Chick:

1. Measure out enough wrap to go around both legs of the chick. The wrap should be trimmed so that it is long and narrow so as to properly fit around a chick’s short legs. Cut a small piece of tape to secure wrap when applying the hobble.
2. Position the wrap so that it wraps around both of the chick’s legs. The two ends should overlap between the chick’s legs. The wrap should go around the chick’s legs below the knee joint. Gently pull the legs into a position that is just slightly wider than proper standing position. Allow a slight give in the hobble for the chick to be able to walk.
3. Tape the ends of the wrap securely between the chick’s legs to fasten the hobble.

You may need to teach the chick how to stand and walk with its new hobble on. Several short ‘physical therapy’ sessions throughout the day can encourage and strengthen the chick to start walking on its own with the hobble. Sessions that last 6-8 minutes are usually sufficient. Chicks with severe cases of splay leg will need more physical therapy than chicks with mild cases of splay leg.

How to Care for a Splay Leg Chick:

Food & Water– Make sure the chick can access food, water, and the heat source. As the chick gains strength, it will be able to start walking on its own with the hobble. Make sure the other chicks in the brood don’t pick on the hobbled chick. I like to use dull-colored Vetwrap so as not to attract unwanted attention from other chicks.

Hobble Replacement– The hobble will need to be replaced about every day as the chick grows. If the hobble is leaving indents around the chick’s legs then you know the wrap is too tight. When using Vetwrap, the wrap can sometimes get stretched out as the chick learns to walk. Replacing the hobble every day will ensure it is still effectively treating the condition.

Healing Time– It can take a few days or up to several weeks for the splay leg condition to be completely healed. Mild cases of splay leg will heal faster than severe splay leg. The condition heals as the leg muscles slowly develop into the proper standing position. As the chick gets stronger, you can allow more give in the hobble so that the legs are less supported by the wrap.

Prevention- Make sure the condition is completely healed before removing the hobble for good. If the leg muscles still tend to allow the legs to slip outwards, then the condition could return without the support of the hobble. You will also want to make sure the hobbled chick always has a solid, non-slip surface to walk on as it heals. Using proper brooder litter can help with that.

How to Prevent Splay Leg

Splay leg in chicks can be prevented! Here are some ways to prevent splay leg from becoming an issue in your homestead brood:

Incubation Prevention-

Have a backup power source for incubator to prevent sudden changes in temperature if power goes out during incubation. You should also make sure the incubator is calibrated correctly. Carefully monitor humidity levels throughout incubation and at hatch time. Avoid opening the incubator frequently which can cause fluctuations in both the temperature and humidity levels in the incubator. Ensure proper incubating room conditions to prevent the ambient temperature and humidity from affecting the incubator.

Make sure you install a nonslip incubator floor liner before the egg are due to hatch. Cut a piece of grippy shelf liner to lay on the bottom of the incubator at lockdown. The shelf liner will help newly hatched chicks easily gain traction as they learn to stand and walk.

Brooder Prevention-

Use a nonslip brooder litter such as textured paper towel or large flake wood shavings. Don’t use newspaper litter which can be slippery.

Paper towel litter is a helpful brooder litter to use for the first few days when brooding your chicks. The paper towel gives the chicks a stable surface to walk on and allows them to easily learn where to find their food. Using textured paper towel or laying soft towels under the paper towel can prevent the paper towel from being too flat and potentially slippery for newly hatched chicks. You can switch to wood shavings (which are easier to clean as the chicks grow and make bigger messes!) after a few days.

Breeder Diet-

If you are collecting hatching eggs from a breeding flock on your homestead, ensure you are feeding the breeding birds complete breeder feed. You can also supplement their diet with vitamins and minerals if a complete breeder feed is not available.

Chicks who appear to be walking funny, such as waddling, or chicks who can’t walk at all and appear to be doing the splits are more than likely suffering from splay leg. Treating the condition as soon as possible can help the chick recover and start moving about properly. Having a grippy incubator floor and using a nonslip brooder litter can help prevent splay leg from being an issue in your brood. Learning how to prevent, recognize, and treat splay leg in chicks can help you raise a healthy homestead brood!

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