toes are twisted. is that bad?

chickenlover222

In the Brooder
10 Years
Apr 8, 2009
19
0
22
Brown Summit
I just started hatching pheasants and some of them have twisted toes,
I was wondering if its the wire in my incubator or maybe genetics or maybe something else?
I have had about 5 or 6 hatch out of 20 something eggs, the others aren't pipping yet, it has been about 3 and a half weeks.
I know that they hatch between 24 and 28 days. should they all be hatching about the same time or is it normal that they are kind of spaced out?
 
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I was told that that would happen if the humidity was too low. I am new to this too though, but the breeder I got my eggs from warned me of this.
 
They should all hatch with in a day of each other. But with the higher heat of summer, some of the earlier laid eggs may have gotten a premature head start, 23 days is normal for most species.
Crooked toes at hatching are genetic for the most part, humidity shouldnt have anything to do with it, neither does the wire liner.
 
Crooked toes can also be from a deficiency of riboflavin in the starter or grower diet.

(can also be confused with curled-toe paralysis)

Never use deformed birds as breeders. Cull them or keep as non-breeding pets.
 
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Wow, I thought it was humidity! I had an early hatch with all crooked toes, and it was before I gave them starter food, I never would have thought it was genetics. They were mottled d'anvers.
 
Yep, can be a few things, improper turning, slight shipping damage, etc, but the number one one is genetics at birth, too much back breeding, then protein and stuff like that afterward can cause mild cases of it
 
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thanks:), i think it might have to do with genetics or the bacteria that got into my incubator and wiped out most of my eggs. The eggs weren't mine, i got them from this guy so for all i know he could be inbreeding.
 
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Very well could be, Spray that joker down with bleach and add a teaspoon of bleach to your water trays very once in a while and you wont have too many bacteria problems. Helped my hatches a lot over the years
 
My hen has a crooked toe she lives fine, but she is lower on the pecking order. Amputation is a option but more easily on toes than a whole leg. I have seen one legged chickens and it does work but it is not very efficient for the hen or the owner because infections can set in and the chicken is more prone to frostbite and weathering effects
 
I just started hatching pheasants and some of them have twisted toes,
I was wondering if its the wire in my incubator or maybe genetics or maybe something else?
I have had about 5 or 6 hatch out of 20 something eggs, the others aren't pipping yet, it has been about 3 and a half weeks.
I know that they hatch between 24 and 28 days. should they all be hatching about the same time or is it normal that they are kind of spaced out?A
Are you turning your eggs 3 times per day?Is your humidity right?
Chickenaddictiv amputation should never be done on any bird.If they are that bad off you are better off to cull them instead of handicapping them making them suffer to loss of limbs.They will be just fine with crooked toes or legs but I wouldn't breed them in case it is genetics.
In N.H.,Tony.
 
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