Preventing Splay-legged babies

Preventing Splay-legged babies

The best way to deal with this is to prevent it. Put abot 5 to 8 cm basic substrate into the nest box, then give the hen other nest-building materials. She will bild her nest on top of the substrate. This prevents the chicks from ending up on the bottom of a nest box on a slippery wooden floor where they cannot get a proper grip. It also cushions them if they have an overzealous mother who sits very tightly on them.