How to Treat and Prevent Splay Leg in Chicks

Splay leg, also known as spraddle leg, is a relatively common issue in newly hatched chicks. Fortunately, if addressed right away, splay can be treated fairly easily.
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In this post, we’ll show you the simple method we’ve used to successfully treat splay leg in chicks when it happens, and the preventative measures we use to prevent splay leg from happening in the first place.

What Is Splay Leg (AKA Spraddle Leg)?

Splay leg is a condition where a newly hatched chick has trouble walking. When the chick attempts to walk, their legs slip out sideways from under them instead of supporting them.
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Splay leg is the result of weakness or injury to the leg or foot tendons, often caused by improper positioning in the egg at hatch or incubator temperature. It can also develop after the hatch if the chick spends too much time on a slippery surface such as a slick incubator floor or the wrong brooder bedding.

​Tips To Prevent Splay Leg

Consistent incubation temperature:
Inconsistent incubation temperature increases the likelihood of splay leg, so aim to keep your incubator temp at 99.5℉ throughout the process. Even though our incubators have built-in temperature and humidity sensors, we like to place hygrometer inside our machines for a backup reading, just in case the internal sensors are off.

No slippery incubator floors:
For the last three days of incubation, aka “lockdown”, we place paper towels on the floor of the incubator. Not only does this make post-hatch cleanup easier, the paper towels also give more grip to the surface of the incubator, reducing the chicks’ risk of developing splay leg.
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The right brooder bedding:
Slick brooder floors can also lead to splay leg. We’ve used both soft fabric (like old t-shirts) stretched over a board or pine shavings to give chicks a grippier walking surface.

How To Treat Splay Leg

Your chick will have the best chance of recovery if you treat splay leg right away, as their bones are still soft for the first couple days after they hatch. 

To correct the issue, you will need to keep the chick’s legs in the correct position for several days by making a hobble. VetWrap is a great choice for a hobble, but in a pinch bandages or medical tape will work, too. 

To allow for leg growth, make sure that you change the hobble each day so that the chick’s legs aren’t damaged by overly tight material (they grow fast!). It typically takes about four days of treatment to fix spraddle leg, but it's okay if your chick needs extra time.

To make a hobble, use ¼ inch wide strips of your chosen material, wrapped around each leg and joined in the middle as shown in the photo. The chick’s legs should be parallel to each other, and the chick should be able to walk (albeit a little awkwardly) with the tape in place. 

When making a hobble out of medical tape, use a folded over double layer of tape on any areas that touch the chick, so as not to damage the chick’s skin or feathers with adhesive material. If you use VetWrap, know that this material only adheres to itself, so there is no danger of it sticking to the chick’s legs.

In Conclusion

Splay leg is both preventable and if caught early, very treatable! Using the method above, we've successfully treated splay leg in several chicks over the years. For the best chance of success, we recommend using the prevention tips outlined above, observing newly hatched chicks carefully, and treating immediately. 

Have other splay leg tips that have worked for you? Please share them below!