My chicks feet are boneless?!?!?!

[Stepaniechickie]

From the moment she was born at four days old or so i noticed something was wrong with her foot. As time passed it only got worse. At first one of his toes was curled so much she limped. The others are straight but really long and looks as if it has no bone in it. When she was younger i tried to put a splint on it to streighten it but because she hasent been able to build a relationship with me because ive been focusing on school she wont let me touch her. My dad can pick her up but he wouldnt let me put it on her. So I've just left it. In the end it looks like her toes have straightened out on their own! The Only problem is it's like they all have no bones. It's hard for her to even get up and stand up because they provide no support!!! Please tell me what to do!

 

[cavemanrich]

I wish I had an answer for you. I see your chicken as being born with a birth defect. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but it is a sad reality. I know you would like to do whatever possible to save her. Some things are just not feasible or even possible. Just let nature take its course. I'M SAD WITH YOU.

 

[lazy gardener]

Trust me, there are bones in there. I can see the joints. How old is she now? Some folks have had good luck splinting shortly after hatch. I don't know if she's past that point or not. Your choices are to: splint her, leave it alone, and it will continue to get progressively worse. (Is she currently able to get to the feeder, keep her crop full, and get to the water, and away from any brooder mates who want to pick on her?) Or you can cull her. Unfortunately, out of every hatch there may be one or more who have defects due to poor genetics, or perhaps related to hatching temps, poor nutrition in the hen or the egg.

 

[Stepaniechickie]

She's about thirteen weeks or so. I really don't want to cull her and I want to do everything I can not to. Please tell me it's not too late to splint her! I don't know how but if it'll fix this I'll figure out some way to get the splint on her if it's not too late!

 

[purplesquirrel]

Use wooden kebab skewers as splints, try and straighten to toes as much as she can stand, then use mod rock (stuff they fix broken army and legs with) to bent toes as straight as you can get them and fasten them to splint. If it is all of her toes, just do a couple at a time otherwise discomfort might be too much.
You will have to hold it in place whilst it sets straight. Mod rock sets like, well...rock very quickly. If done in a warm room, will go hard as quickly as 10 minutes. You can get mod rock from all craft stores and online..ebay etc, dead cheap very common.

Cover with sandwich bag plastic to stop getting wet, try to stop her from pecking it as much as possible. Keep it on for a couple weeks, keep an eye on her, make sure she's not too miserable. Change mod rock if needed by carefully cutting off with razor blade .

Toes are soft and can be manipulated, especially as she is still young.

Probably best not to breed from her... Unless she was injured whilst trying to hatch, then it's probably that, genetics.

 

[scflock]

The next time one hatches like that, splint as soon as you notice it. I make "sandals" out of cardboard, and tape them to their feet with a band-aid. I found this trick on an old BYC thread, and it works! If you catch it quickly, it can be fixed within 3 or 4 days. As stated above, I wouldn't breed it. I think at 13 weeks it is going to be tougher, but keep an eye out for it in the future. I don't know the timeline on when their bones are too hardened to correct, but I think the skewers would be worth a shot. Good luck