Three day old favorolle with potential splay leg

[Eggcessive]

Make sure that she has drunk her electrolyte or sugar water. Give her a little raw egg or thin feed with water. Then help her stand in a small wineglass or padded cup so that she is upright and using her legs to support herself. The band aid or vet wrap needs to be away from the joint so that she can bend the joints. Continue to feed and water her. It is awkward for them to stand and balance in the hobble at first. If she has not been up for 2 days, she might be weak. It is good to remove the hobble daily and check her legs since she is growing fast. I hope that she makes it.

 

[Ajp23]

She is far more alert now so I’m grateful for the suggestions! She can stand for a few seconds at a time but then topples over. Any ideas on how I should set her up to sleep tonight? Currently I have her wrapped in a hand towel, kind of propped up.

 

[Slothinc]

She is far more alert now so I’m grateful for the suggestions! She can stand for a few seconds at a time but then topples over. Any ideas on how I should set her up to sleep tonight? Currently I have her wrapped in a hand towel, kind of propped up.

What a relief! For tonight I would probably let her sleep with her chick friends, but make sure she isn’t sleeping on her back. It will take a little time for her to build up strength but as she perks up she will be more motivated to try standing on her own (with the brace on) before bed tonight you could do cup therapy for 10-20 mins. I love watching a tv show while holding a chick in a cup lol! Make sure the cup is narrow (think shot glass or small measuring cup) and put some paper towels in the bottom so she has traction. Then use your finger to help position her in standing position and you can assist her with your finger in the cup if she can’t stand on her own yet. You just don’t want her to get cold so don’t bring her out for too long.

Other than that, keep giving her sugar water/electrolytes and if possible, put it near her so she can start drinking and eating on her own. For food, more egg yolk, and you can mix it with some chick food (if the food isn’t ground up, put in a ziplock bag and use a cup or something heavy to smash up the crumbles so they are kind of dusty) and mix that in with a little yolk, or offer it plain, just in the dusty form and leave it near her.

You’re doing great! Keep it up!

 

[Slothinc]

Also since she has feathered legs, whenever you need to remove the brace, dip a q tip in oil (coconut or olive) and use that to wipe the bandaid area, where it is sticking to feathers, it will help it to come off easier without pulling out all of her feathering.

 

[Ajp23]

Thank you all for your help!! I really hope she makes it. So funny how you become so fond of a chick in just a few days

 

[Ajp23]

What a relief! For tonight I would probably let her sleep with her chick friends, but make sure she isn’t sleeping on her back. It will take a little time for her to build up strength but as she perks up she will be more motivated to try standing on her own (with the brace on) before bed tonight you could do cup therapy for 10-20 mins. I love watching a tv show while holding a chick in a cup lol! Make sure the cup is narrow (think shot glass or small measuring cup) and put some paper towels in the bottom so she has traction. Then use your finger to help position her in standing position and you can assist her with your finger in the cup if she can’t stand on her own yet. You just don’t want her to get cold so don’t bring her out for too long.

Other than that, keep giving her sugar water/electrolytes and if possible, put it near her so she can start drinking and eating on her own. For food, more egg yolk, and you can mix it with some chick food (if the food isn’t ground up, put in a ziplock bag and use a cup or something heavy to smash up the crumbles so they are kind of dusty) and mix that in with a little yolk, or offer it plain, just in the dusty form and leave it near her.

You’re doing great! Keep it up!

One last thing - if she is not propped up, she kind of sleeps on her stomach. Is that ok under the heat plate for the night? She yells if I put her in something to hold her up for too long.

 

[Slothinc]

Also there is a way to make the brace that I like to use that doesn’t stick to the leg feathering at all, and it doesn’t pull on those feathers when they try to stand and walk. It’s super easy. I’ll describe it to you and you can let me know if it doesn’t make sense.

Take a bandaid and cut it lengthwise so you have two long strips. If there is sticky stuff on one of the edges of the pad on each strip, cut the thin strip of sticky side off so you have the cotton pad in the middle of each long strip and sticky part on each end. (It is easier if you have a second person to hold the chick while you put the brace on.)

Take one leg and one strip and wrap the cotton part around the leg and then stick the two sticky ends to themselves. Do the same to the other leg. The cotton should be surrounding the leg and you should be able to rotate each strip around the leg. Grab the two long ends that are the sticky parts (which aren’t sticky anymore because they are stuck to themselves), and put them in between the chicks legs. If they are really long, cut them shorter. Overlap them and then use tape or another piece of a bandaid to secure the two little tails to each other in between the chicks legs. You don’t want more than an inch of space between the legs.

I think doing the brace this way helps the chick be able to stand and move easier because their feathers aren’t being pulled! Sorry for the fast description, Im in a bit of a hurry at the moment. I hope it makes sense!

 

[Slothinc]

One last thing - if she is not propped up, she kind of sleeps on her stomach. Is that ok under the heat plate for the night? She yells if I put her in something to hold her up for too long.

Stomach is okay

 

[Ajp23]

Update: the little gal didn’t make it through the night however, I’m so thankful for all the great advice I received! Even moreso that she is not suffering any longer. She was very distressed last night, constant chirping no matter what we tried.

I’m looking forward to chick days at TSC soon so we can get a few more!

 

[LaFleche]

Update: the little gal didn’t make it through the night however, I’m so thankful for all the great advice I received! Even moreso that she is not suffering any longer. She was very distressed last night, constant chirping no matter what we tried.

I’m looking forward to chick days at TSC soon so we can get a few more!

I am sorry you lost her despite all your efforts. Sometimes there is nothing one can do to prevent it.