Spraddle Leg

Spraddle Leg or Splayed Leg is a condition where when the chick is born its legs are not in the right position and it looks bow legged and has trouble walking.

This is generally an easy condition to correct if caught within the first 24 hours. A newborn chicks bones are still very soft just after hatching but will harden within the first 48 hours. It’s muscle development is also rapidly happening at this time. If left longer than 24 hours there is a good chance that you will not be able to remedy the problem and your chick will be permanently crippled. There are many different remedies for this but we choose to use band aids when we have to deal with this condition.

For our large fowl chicks we find that the small ½ inch wide band aids work the best. We use three band aids for this procedure. Cut the pad out of one band aid so you are left with the two tape strips. This procedure is most easily handled with two people, one to hold the chick and one to apply the band aids. While one person is holding the chick, take a band aid and wrap it around the leg so that the pad portion is around the leg and stick the two tab ends together facing towards the middle. Repeat the procedure on the other leg. Now take one of the tape sections that you cut off the third band aid and while holding the tab ends together from the two band aids that are wrapped around the legs, make sure the legs are in a normal position and tape the band aids together. Use the other tape end to tape the other side just as reinforcement. Place the chick back into the brooder. Leave this hobble on for 24 hours. The chick will have trouble walking at first but they usually figure out how to walk after a while. Make sure that the other chicks do not trample it. After 24 hours remove the tape strips leaving the other band aids in place and see how it walks. If the legs are still splayed then reapply new tape strips to hold the legs in position for another 24 hours. This condition is usually cured within the first 24 hours.