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Splayed Leg


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Hi

My Bubble and her new husband Silver Top decided to have babies in early April. Their first attempt was not successful - all the eggs died. The reason - I do not know for sure. Her first babies were born in summer - all healthy, but the father was different.

 

The second portion of eggs was alive but for two - all in all there were 5 eggs, but we discovered that two wouldn't hatch. We checked them and then destroyed.

 

All the three babies were born one after another. My daughter took good care of them giving them supplementary vitamins and boiled eggs (I mean, she gave that to the parents). Yesterday I discovered that one of the babies has a splayed leg. I took to reading a lot in the net and decided to fix the leg. Yesterday I tried something like a cosmetics pad with two holes to hold the legs together. But in the morning I discovered that the "mini-skirt' was off and the baby was stretching one leg happily again. I made a hobble out of vet wrap which I cut in a narrow strip. So far the chick has been doing good. Only I do not think I tied the legs evenly enough. I wonder if I should attempt to straighten them up. Also, could somebody tell me for how long should I keep the wrap on and should I change the wrapping from time to time.

 

I have read that the earlier the problem is detected, the better the result will be. Unfortunately, I noticed the problem only yesterday, and the chicks are about 3 weeks now, maybe a bit less, but they have their feathers already.

 

The reason for the splayed leg might be the fact that this father used to spend a lot of time in the nest box which the previous father had not done at all.

 

I wish I could help the little bird to recover!

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Another member has just posted about splayed legs also. In a search you will find we have covered this topic and also added some helpful articles to assist. Earlier the better for fixing it....the makeup sponge method covered in an article on BBC forum will help. The only reason your first attempt didnt was the holes were too big allowing the leg to pull back out. Dont blame the Dad. Its more often than not a lack of enough calcium than anything else. Some say Mother sitting too tight or no concaves in nestbox. Those things can contribute but lack of enough calcium is usually the most common cause.

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Thank you - I have read thru all the posts about the condition. I will try to help the little guy and will try to get the avian vet's advice. We have such a vet at the zoo. I will make an appointment on Monday. Only I am afraid to take such a small chick out of the nest for a long time...

 

The other chicks seem to be a bit harsh to him - he cannot move with the vet wrap around his little paws.

 

They do not sell the kind of sponge which is shown in the pics about splayed leg chicks around here. Therefore I took a cotton round piece - meant also for cosmetics. That one was somehow removed.

All I want is to have him cured so that he doesn't suffer later in his life.

Thank you again.

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