Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
sliding will cause serious problems such as splayed legs (see box). You can use paper
towels on top of or instead of newspaper layers.
When you lay down the newspaper, put the chick pad that came in the shipping box
with the chicks at the end where you're planning to have a heat light. The pad is most
often made of a stiff corrugated paper or shredded woven excelsior. This provides a little
bit of firm footing for the babies — a surface that they can cling to and one on which
there will be less slip-sliding around.
SPLAYED LEGS
Splayed legs is a condition where a chick's legs are not situated under its body but
rather go out to the sides. The condition occurs for a number of reasons, but chiefly
befalls a young fowl placed on a slick surface where it loses traction. After slipping
and sliding its muscles become displaced. A bird also can acquire splayed legs if it
stays too long in the shell at hatching and gets stuck on the way out. The legs firm up
in an awkward position, making it difficult to walk and for muscles to develop prop-
erly.
Chicks suffering from splayed legs are typically only able to slide around on their
bellies with either one or both legs spread like airplane wings out to the side. In most
cases, there is not much you can do for them at this point. Methods that sometimes
work to correct it include using a piece of string to tie the legs together for a few
days. Band-Aids or tape can also be applied for a short period of time.
After a week, if these splints don't work and the chick still can't walk properly,
you are probably not going to be successful and must dispose of the chick. It's ques-
tionable as to how much effort you should put into this attempt to help the bird and
whether or not you should ever use a bird that survives it as breeder stock.
If you do not have a chick pad, you can use coarse wood shavings, but do not use very
fine wood or cedar shavings. Fine shavings are sometimes eaten and the components
can be found in the crop or gizzard upon death. Cedar shavings give off moth-killing
fumes that will also fumigate some baby poultry. If coarse wood shavings are not avail-
able, you can use coarse, dry sphagnum peat moss. You can use sand, too, but be careful
there again, because the birds can eat it if you are a poor parent and fail to properly feed
them. (As a general rule, when provided with proper food chicks consume only enough
sand to satisfy their gizzard.)
You also can be somewhat creative here and use old towels or clothes and even paper
towels for a ground surface; use whatever is available that will keep them from slipping
and is not dangerous or toxic if sampled.
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