splayed legs in baby parakeet

Question
Hello,
Nine days ago my female parakeet hatched 2 eggs.  She incubated them in the bottom of the cage because she refused to use the nest box.  The female is feeding both babies, and they are growing fine.  They are beginning to get pin feathers and their eyes are beginning to open.  My problem is, that one of the babies has splayed legs.  I found a website that showed how to correct the problem by making a splint out of a trimmed down makeup sponge.  I am really nervous about trying this.  My questions are:  will this problem "self correct" in the baby?  If I try to put on the splint, will I then have to hand raise the chick?  I was hoping to let the mother raise them until they were 5-6 weeks old.  I am very concerned about the chick and need your advice.  Thank you in advance.  Sincerely, Cheryl Flora

Answer
Hello Cheryl and thank you for your post.
Splay leg can be corrected, and the younger the bird is, the better it is as babies tend to bounce back better than older babies do.
Splay Leg will not correct itself.  The mother may still take care of the baby with the splint, but you might have to help her care for it.
One of our other Experts has a site that explains how to deal with Splay Leg, I am sending you the link.  This is a wonderful site that explains many aspects of raising chicks and how to deal with many situations.

http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/parrots_page1.html

This is a very informative site and it is very well put together.  I have read through the site, and I have learned a lot from it.

Please feel free to come back with any more questions.

Good luck and God Bless.
Dianna