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I have successfully fixed curled toes on a day old chick after 4 days of wearing shoes using these instructions.Chick Shoes for Twisted or Curled Toes
CAUTION: A chick wearing Chick Shoes can easily drown if it stumbles near a water container. See "Prevent Drowning in Water Dish"section.
Use for splinting and correcting Twisted Toes, or sometimes to help with Curled Toes. (With Twisted Toes, an adult or chick walks on sides of twisted toes. With Curled Toes, a chick walks on tops of curled toes.)
Cut out a small, flat triangle a little larger than the size that the chick's foot should be when toes are spread. Position each toe correctly and then use a small piece of sports tape to tape the toe to the cardboard.
Triangle be cut from sponge, thin cardboard/paperboard or a piece of a plastic lid from something like a sour cream container.
A different type of chick shoe splint can be made from pipe cleaners (or flower arranging wire and thin padding, for older chickens).
Instructions for this kind of chick shoe and also a half chick shoe at www.peafowl.org/ARTICLES/1/
Recommendation: Use sports tape instead of duct tape.
If treating young chick: Important to put on new shoe at least every 1-3 days while feet growing fast.
Make sure shoe size increased regularly so foot doesn't outgrow shoe.
Notice and correct sooner if chick wiggles toe into wrong position, before deformities caused.
If treating older bird: You may want to treat moderately twisted toes if causing problems. Do not try to correct long-term, severely twisted toes. Bones, muscles & ligaments are mature & may not be able to be reshaped, or will change more slowly.
Aim for gradual reshaping.
Check regularly that there isn't too much debris sticking to shoe, & that toes haven't slipped loose.
Change the shoe at least every 4-7 days.
*Be extra sure to follow Special Note on Removing Tape from Legs, Feet & Toes instructions.