I have been incubating the eggs from my trio of Ayam Cemani chickens and had my first hatch last night. This morning when I checked the incubator I had missed one of the chicks and it spent the night in the bottom of the incubator. At first glance the chick appeared to be in good order. It was dry and peeping quite well. When I placed the chick in the brooder I noticed that it could not stand up and that both feet were spread quite in opposite directions. When I looked it up I found out the condition was known as Spraddle Leg. Does anyone know if there is a way to correct this or should I euthanize the chick?
In response to your question we have had success by placing padding between the legs. You will need a styrofoam cup. Put the chick in a standing position with the padding and use medical tape to secure the legs in an extended position. Place the chick in the styrofoam cup with padding in the cup as well for support and leave the chick in the cup. It will correct if you were able to catch it soon enough. A chick when hatched lives off of the yolk for 3 days or so after it is hatched before it starts to eat. The chick will be fine you will probably be best to keep the cup in a dark location to prevent activity. It conserves the chicks energy and also prevents it from further injuring itself. Check around the 3rd day or 4th day to see if the chick has regained its ability to walk.
