# Splayed Legs



## Gille (Sep 8, 2006)

One of our Roller chicks seemed fine when it was banded but after being away for 5 days and back for around 3 i noticed it wasn't moving about like the rest of our chicks. When i picked it up I saw that it's one leg was not only out side ways but far to the rear. It seems the floor of his nest was too slippery and not having a sibling at his side made his leg go outwards. I tried trying them to gether but that failed. So we tried puttng two clip on bands on and holding them together with a small rubber band but the chick just laid there. So after alot of thought it hit me. My wife and daughter just spent a week at camp where there were a few kids with walkers. I drove taxi taking kids to school last school year and one of them also used a walker. So I started out attempting to make this almost fully feathered chick a walker and the following pics are the result. It is made from a coat hanger and a tensor bandage with glue. I'm hoping it works for him er her whom my wife has named Hope.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Or you could use a proven method that isn't so complicated.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/193589827zTYswz


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## Gille (Sep 8, 2006)

*had to get comlicated*

Had to get more complicated because the leg was not only outwards but backwards to the point where the chick was using the back of the knee joint as a foot and when i tied the legs together as indicated in the pic you pointed me too the chick just laid down and stayed there. It seemed to be twisting the chicks back. I don't want to cause spine problems. I may have to hand feed if the chicks unable to move about at first but since the whole thing weighs less than 25 grams I think it aught to manage as a pigeon can carry up to 40 grams of feed in it's crop and still fly easily.


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## Teresa (Jul 10, 2005)

Hi, Gille!

That's a very ingenious contraption, hope it works!

Terry put together lots of useful info on splayed legs in 'Resources'. Here's the link:
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f25/treatments-for-splayed-legs-17869.html

I'm sure I read somewhere that correcting a splayed leg is *very painful* and the squab should be given a pain killer. Perhaps someone more experienced could comment on this?


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## Gille (Sep 8, 2006)

*yup been there*

I read up on all the info at that link earlier today. None of the birds I saw in the pics were quiet as bad off though. I realy feel badly for this little one. If I'd have caught it earlier it would have been so much easier to help fix. But I'd taken to banding them and then leaving them alone until they are 25 days old because we had two chicks abandoned. They were attacked by a feral that got in and the parents continued to feed them but after I inspected them they wouldn't. I figured leave this single chick who was the only fertile egg in their next round alone as much as possible. Sometimes it's quite sad how things go. If we had not been gone for the 5 days i may have noticed it sooner. The young gal who fed and watered them just doesn't know enough to look and to be honest i would have advised against it just because the parents had been so stressed over the previous round. The leg can turn and there is no signs of it hurting ( closed eyes, peeping or squiriming to get away) but when i turn and tie it it pulls on the chicks spine. The dove walker aught to help avoid that and give the leg time to get use to the new more forwards position. I'm hoping in a few weeks the chick will use the leg more normally. It's dad had a badly wonded leg and it too was turned back but he was older and used it so it got progressivley better. This little ones not using it at all. Ah well. I'm hoping this will help.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Please keep us updated, Gille!!

I sure hope your invention works! If it does, more pijies could be helped, especially if the same as your little one!!

Sending all the best loving healing thoughts with gentle hugs and scritches

Shi


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Could you post a picture of the bird in this contraption?


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## plamenh (Aug 11, 2006)

I like this one with a sponge:
http://www.parrotparrot.com/splay/
Less chances for skin irritation, but every case is different.


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## Gille (Sep 8, 2006)

*Hope with splayed leg*

This is little Hope. Not sure if Hope is a guy or a gal yet. I'm thinking a gal but time will tell. I rigged up this walker which seemed at first to work just fine but then Hope behaving as he er she has had to do in order to get around shifted it's body to the left and fell over. I righted Hope and waited with the same result. It seems my dove walker is just too light making it very easy to tip sideways. In addition the chosen material, a tensor bandage is too stretchy. Hope is self feeding and drinking and able to fly from the ground as high as 6 feet to land in the nest boxes. Putting Hope in a box would totaly limit these acheivements. Hence my atempting to build something that allows the freedom. Anything that draws the leg into proper position causes hope to roll onto one side. This little trooper has managed to get about it was just sad to watch the struggle it had to go though and the continued walking upon it's knee joint. We realy do need something that will allow it to continue to eat and drink at least. So if anyone can think of anything better than a box or tying it's legs so it falls over please let me know. Thanks.


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## Guest (Jul 26, 2009)

you need to tape those legs close together to the front like a hobble, just hanging them losely isnt going to help them stay in place .maybe you could tape the bottom part like this while having it in that holder of yours


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Each case is different so you have to keep watching, thinking and adjusting...and making certain that the pigeon doesn't suffer from stress. 

The sponge method looks comfortable but birds have died from stress when that was used, in that particular case they were unable to walk around. The best methods are those that allow the bird to move around and don't cause unnecessary pain.

I had a collared dove whose legs were crossed in the middle across her chest, the feet were lifeless (photo below). Doves can die of aheart attack when you apply the bandages so I had to aim for something soft and gentle that could be fitted with "rest breaks" to reduce stress. I used a variation of the splayed legs correction pictured in webshots, but pointed the feet in the right direction by placing then round a bandage "log" and taping them in place. The dove could walk better with the "bootees" than it could without them and ended up quite normal. BUT over the years there was slippage and her feet drifted back towards the centre, so this is something that you will have to watch for.










This is a link to the thread about Doveling, that covers the methods tried and their effect on her:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=15302&referrerid=560


Cynthia


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I didn't know that about the sponge method. Thank you for mentioning that. I guess the age of the bird is important to take into consideration, as at different ages the amount of freedom to get around would be more of a factor in trying not to cause undue stress to the bird.

I think that Lokota may be right in that it also needs taping.


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## Gille (Sep 8, 2006)

*thanks*

thanks very mush for your replies. I tried and tried to get the dove walker working , taped the leggs used a sponge but because she is able to fly she always tried and ended up upside down or even on her back. So we're giving up on that idea..... I made a sling which we carry her around in. This way we can easily check to see if her leg is where it needs to be. When she's not with us, like at night she'll be set loose in her coop unhampered by anything. Sure do wish I'd have caught this earlier. But at least having her leg where it belongs for 10 to 12 hours a day may help. I sure hope so. She's the sweetest bird. She's eating from our hands but avoiding water so water is the next step. Thanks again all.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Gille said:


> thanks very mush for your replies. I tried and tried to get the dove walker working , taped the leggs used a sponge but because she is able to fly she always tried and ended up upside down or even on her back. So we're giving up on that idea..... I made a sling which we carry her around in. This way we can easily check to see if her leg is where it needs to be. When she's not with us, like at night she'll be set loose in her coop unhampered by anything. Sure do wish I'd have caught this earlier. But at least having her leg where it belongs for 10 to 12 hours a day may help. I sure hope so. She's the sweetest bird. She's eating from our hands but avoiding water so water is the next step. Thanks again all.


What about leaving her legs taped, and in a sling during the night. I have seen where someone had a bird with broken legs, set them, put the bird in a sling like thing, and hung it from a banana tree. You know, the kind of thing you buy to hang a bunch of bananas on your counter. It sounds weird, but it worked. I don't know, but I would think that it wouldn't be helpful to let the legs go back into the wrong position during the night.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> What about leaving her legs taped, and in a sling during the night. I have seen where someone had a bird with broken legs, set them, put the bird in a sling like thing, and hung it from a banana tree. You know, the kind of thing you buy to hang a bunch of bananas on your counter. It sounds weird, but it worked.


This is a link to a lovely story about Braveheart, the pigeon in the banana rack.

http://www.redroselofts.com/braveheart.htm


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Oh thank you Cynthia, I had kept that picture for so long, and now couldn't find it. What an amazing story of an amazing little bird. Thanks for posting it. 

Anyway, wouldn't something like that help Gills bird?


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## Guest (Jul 27, 2009)

I agree taking this baby out of stirrups(hobbles) for the night would be very counter productive and that banana hamock looks like a great alturnative


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I would have to at least give it a try. Letting his legs loose every night will just undo everything you've been trying to do during the day. If he will be able to heal, you've got to do it now, or he'll be crippled for the rest of his life.


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## Teresa (Jul 10, 2005)

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Hope! Please keep us updated, Gille.

Cynthia, thanks for the link. What a great story!


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## Gille (Sep 8, 2006)

*update*

Decided it was best as some indicated so I put two bandaids on her which keeps the foot under her and we've given her her own cage now because her parents were pecking at her now that they have new chicks.
I'm keeping the dove walker in hopes that it may still help should there be any younger (non-flying) chicks found to have have the same problem in the future. It aught to keep a younger chick upright and still allow the parents to feed it...as long as the bandaids (hobbling) are included. Hopefully there will be no more splayed legs but just incase. Thank you all for your input.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Please let us know how she does.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Gille said:


> Decided it was best as some indicated so I put two bandaids on her which keeps the foot under her and we've given her her own cage now because her parents were pecking at her now that they have new chicks.
> I'm keeping the dove walker in hopes that it may still help should there be any younger (non-flying) chicks found to have have the same problem in the future. It aught to keep a younger chick upright and still allow the parents to feed it...as long as the bandaids (hobbling) are included. Hopefully there will be no more splayed legs but just incase. Thank you all for your input.


Providing nesting material and traction underneath the chicks, will hopefully eliminate the need to use it.


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