Guide to Treating Splayed Legs in Chicks

Splayed legs in chickens can be caused by various factors, such as genetics or slippery flooring like marble or parquet wood flooring.

To prevent splayed legs, use an anti-slip mat for hatching and the first week of life, and avoid smooth or marble flooring for the first few weeks.

Here's how we have treated splayed legs effectively for many chicks. 
Most importantly, it is IMPORTANT to treat ASAP before it worsens, and becomes incurable or permanent as the chick bone structure strengthens in that odd positioning.

To effectively treat splayed legs, it is important to act quickly before the bones of the legs harden in an abnormal position. Here are some methods to try:

1. For curled toes, use medical tape to gently spread the toes out and keep them in a natural position to recover. This helps to strengthen the bones as they harden in this position.
   
   Some use cardboard casting etc, but as chicks usually get their feet wet and dirty, we have found this tape cast to be most effective!

2. For the splayed outward legs, a separate treatment is needed.
   Use a small, flexible rubber band to gently keep the legs in place. You can also use a rough mat or anti-slip mat to provide extra grip.

Treatment should be done for 3-5 days, and the tape and rubber bands should be checked and changed every 2 days to monitor progress. Do not leave the tape or rubber bands on indefinitely. With proper treatment, splayed legs can be successfully corrected in chicks.