snowy Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 when i rung a squab a couple of days ago, all fine (& this one didnt fall off) i noticed this morning, that the leg i rung, is sticking out to the side, i picked it up & it seems ok so i put it back under it, & it pushed it back out to the side?? it looks wierd?? any thoughts ive heard of bent keels & straddle legs, but never seen either>? any help please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 snowy is the youngster being single reared? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowy Posted February 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 yes tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 snowy if you leave things as they are the young'un will end up with splayed legs and be useless. When rearing single young'uns they need a firm nest beneath them especially with the nestbowls that seem to be made now, to smooth for my liking. You can try packing one half of the nestbowl with tobacco stalks tying them in place using the holes in the bottom of the nestbowl or you can try putting a clip on ring on its other leg and tying a piece of string between the two rings to keep the leg from splaying. The quicker you do it the better. Send me a PM if I haven't made this clear. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowy Posted February 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 its 9 dys old, only one leg, just been looking on google. thanks tony shall i do now or in morning? is this the thing im talking about? http://www.epah.net/birds/Plimbdeformity.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Silverwings Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 snowy ,tony hit the nail on the head with the bird being single reared , the squab is using its leg to prop itself upright in the nest bowl ,the base of the teracotta bowls dont have any grip on them and sparse nesting material is pushed from under the squab as it strugles to maintain an upright position ,if allowed to continue the youngster will have its leg set permanentley in that position ,and wont be of much use to you , it still may be possible to to prevent the defomation , by adding stronger nest material to the bowl ,and using soft string to tie the legs apart in the correct position for the duration of the nest , remember to adjust the tie width as the youngster developes ........ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 I would do it in the morning,its going to be cold tonight and best not disturb the pigeons if on their young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowy Posted February 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 thanks all, i will put a coiled telephone ring on it in the morning & add the string, thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 Snowy We've had this once or twice last year, and we used some "knicker" elastic" worked out great with no deformity when the bird was weaned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowy Posted February 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 thanks linda n all, better tell the missis that its most urgent that i need that elastic tonight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 With due respect to the other posts, had one of my 2003 single reared youngsters like this but reckoned the cause then was down to incompetent parents (yearlings) actually 'sitting' on / over the growing youngster rather than just covering it with the chest. I did a straight swap between two big youngsters: the foster-parents couldn't 'sit' on the normal one because it kept pushing them up and off and they soon learned the correct way to go about it; the leggy one had proper room under its foster parents, correct posture corrected the leg back to normal in couple of days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowy Posted February 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 thanks bruno, actually, this youngster is a single chick as the yearling clumbsy cock, trod on the other egg & also trod on one of the first round eggs that i fostered. thanks everso much all. much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowy Posted February 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 bloody string came off the coiled ring, will glue it on first, then put the coiled ring on him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 being serious now, either get some elastic or an eleastic band, loop one end round the first leg, leave a little space then loop the other end round they second leg so that the legs look in the natural position, make sure you check it every day, but with having a loop at each leg it should stay on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Silverwings Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 in response to Brunos post earlier ,bruno may have a valid point about heavy sitters / i know a bloke in the pub with a splayed leg ? his old lady must sit on him quite a lot ! she looks a heavy sitter ? ( a real big ,big,mother ) beware of big hens ......ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 Not so much heavy sitter, Ray, more down to poor technique; usually a yearling (new to the game) and usually single reared. Ok in the first days when the youngster is tiny and able to shelter in the space between the parent's keel and the bottom of the nest bowl. But as the youngster grows, the parent should be retreating more towards the back of the bowl and 'blowing' the chest feathers to cover the youngster. If it doesn't, the parent's keel is pressing down on the youngster's back forcing it to squat, with one or both legs splayed, either outwards to the side away from the body, or one backwards and the other forwards. As other posts say, would expect that to lead to permanent hip displacement / deformity. When the youngster is really big, my parent birds, especially the smaller hens, perch almost on the bowl rim, to cover a big youngster. Been faced with it only once, correctly identified the cause and as I posted, a simple straight swap of single youngsters between my clumsy pair, and another pair making a proper job of things, corrected the problem in the youngster AND taught the clumsy pair the correct way to go about things: seeing a youngster jumping- and pushing up under a parent is quite a sight, it sends the right message and the parent bird soon picks-up on what it is doing wrong. Maybe you should spend more time in the loft Ray, and less in the pub??? ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Silverwings Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 bruno ,agree with your post all the way except for the spending less time in the pub bit that is ? only go to the pub once a week (sunday lunch ) only allowed two pints due to the old heart condition , so i AINT cutting down any more ,back to the post i have seen youngsters with both leggs splayed (Break Dancers) a kid i know about 8 years old was told by his old man , " If i see any more young uns like that ill shove em up your a**e " i did not like the idea of that and have not had another one from that day to this .......ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 bruno ,agree with your post all the way except for the spending less time in the pub bit that is ? Yes, spot on Ray ... over the top on my part. :B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Strange that the experience with the same pair allowed me to post an answer to Snowy's other query on the chilled egg. Brought the nightmare back in full technicolour!! ;D 2 big ungainly yearlings; first, hen wouldn't take to the nest bowl, laid on box floor. After she's laid her second, put both eggs in bowl - she shimmied them out using beak and chin; tried again - same again. So left them. Hen on eggs right corner of box, relieved by cock who moved eggs to left corner of box, relieved by hen who moved them straight back again to 'her' corner. Eventually one bird on 'one' egg, with the other lying out somewhere in box... in the dead of winter (paired Jan 1st). Only one egg hatched out, around two days overdue. Had a nest felt pinned to box floor by this time, pair sat on it ok, but youngster fairly wandered under the birds, especially the cock, saw its head poking out the ass-end once and cock looking round fair wondering what was going on 'back there'. Eventually found the youngster uncovered out in the box a bit away from the cock - very cold to touch - put it back under him, 10 minutes later its bounced back 'full of beans'. Then the leg business and the swop which sorted out both problems. Hen laid second round in bowl ... but wasn't taking anything more off them .... no siree!!! > All three birds gone by the end of the same year ... Mr basket got the parents and a hawk (I think thats what I saw happening) got the youngster at Drem, training spin. But the sad thing about the 'straddle leg' (judging from most posts here) is that its the youngster thats faulted with some 'weakness' whereas, in my opinion anyway based on that experience, its down to incompetent yearling parents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 But the sad thing about the 'straddle leg' (judging from most posts here) is that its the youngster thats faulted with some 'weakness' whereas, in my opinion anyway based on that experience, its down to incompetent yearling parents. Bruno, the way I read this thread is that our two different experiences could explain how a squab can end up with a splayed leg, the common denominator is that it seems to happen when single rearing. You suggested incompetent sitters I suggested the actual nest. I cant find no reference to a weakness in the youngster? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Bruno, the way I read this thread is that our two different experiences could explain how a squab can end up with a splayed leg, the common denominator is that it seems to happen when single rearing. You suggested incompetent sitters I suggested the actual nest. I cant find no reference to a weakness in the youngster? We are caught between two threads, Tony. ;D There's another on the same theme, Probs, on the General Pigeon Board, where three posts 'suggest' the problem is the youngster, and disposal is advised. Also at the time I had this problem, my mentor, an elder cousin, advised me to do the same thing for the same reason, and it was he who had the youngster with legs splayed to back & front a couple of years later on, he moved the bird on. You can't be expected to see into my mind Tony, but it was thoughts from these sources that I was drawing on when I posted about weakness in the youngster. ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Thanks for clearing that up Bruno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowy Posted February 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 legs still tied, looking a lot better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE FIFER Posted February 24, 2006 Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 I WILL HAVE TO WATCH A FEW OF MY NESTS AS THE HAVE ONLY HATCHED ONE YOUNGSTER, PROBABLY THE COLD WETHER WE HAVE HAD, OR WITH THEM NOT GETTING OUT WHEN PAIRED. KEEP PLENTI STARW ETC IN THE NEST, I HAVE SOME BEAN BAGS WHICH U GET IN PARCELS TO KEEP DAMPNESS OUT. THEY ARE GOOD TO PUT IN BESIDE SINGLE YOUNGSTERS, AS WELL AS KEEPING THE DAMP OUT, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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