Chick With Curled Toes

[PoultryPedia]

There is also more info on treating chick foot problems & such on my PoultryPedia.com website, if it is useful.
Best wishes

 

[Blue Man Dan.]

here is my slightly adapted method taken from another thread...

Well i tried that method - and have now modified it so i can use my massive fingers

first off, cut out a bit of card to have the a hole the same size as your desired foot shape...




Second, apply Elastoplast fabric strapping tape to the back (to stop the toes from going all the way through) and leave a flap to fold over the top....





Sterilise the foot of the chick using a alcohol wipe then place the foot in the template as follows....



Then fold over the tape doing a toe at a time and ensuring the toes stay in the grooves!




Add 2 small straps of tape going around the foot the other way to ensure the foot will not slip out of the device..



And here is my chick with his new shoes on!
​

 

[Equilibrium]

This is wonderful information. I am so grateful to Blue Man Dan for all the great step by step photos. I have a little chick that has two ever so slightly curled toes on one foot. It's getting around as well, if not better, than the other chicks but my concern was that the toes would curl more as time went on. Thank you so much to the person who started this thread and for all the great replies.

 

[plinkee]

Fabulous. I've just tried this on my peachick. But she has a really deformed ankle? as well, so it will take some time to get it right. i'll keep resetting it every few days until i can get it in the right position, it is so bad i can't quite get it into the right position with further damage. So it will be a step by step procedure. Many thanks Paula, Welshpool

 

[pddtovar]

thanks for the info. This will help my little guy. The picture was great.

 

[mc08daniel]

I had a game hen born with curled toes, ran across this thread, so I went and cut out some lil shoes for her last night...one came off during today and her lil toes are straight. I will be putting the lil shoe back on for another day or so and see how they are. Thanks so much it has helped her alot and me

...
~Gma

 

[Bantam Username]

I have a little guy just over a week old, he had splay leg and was hobbled for a few days, he still walks badly and limps though because his middle toe on both feet is completely bent round to the side and keeps getting bunged up with muck and sawdust. He struggles to balance because so much of his toe is bent round, will it hurt him to straighten them out, as he's obviously in pain now, he tries to walk as little as possible.

 

[PoultryPedia]

I'd say do try to fix his toes immediately. If they can't be fixed, he'll most likely have to be put down because of his level of pain, so this is a necessary thing to try.

So the amount of change to his toes isn't too drastic all at once, you could try taping pieces of pipe cleaners to his toes (but be careful that no sharp ends poke his feet, or he may get an injury with pain that would cause him to distort his walking more). You could bend the pipecleaners only partway toward correct position at first & gradually move more. I wouldn't take too long on the transition, though--his bones are growing and hardening fast.

If you don't have pipecleaners, you might try just wrapping his toes with thin strips of tape, gradually taping them straighter. Do a coule layers of wraps if needed, so it's stiff enough without becoming too bulky. Also, be careful to not doo wraps TOO tight, and that you change tape every couple days at least. There is info on using & removing tape on the Poultry Podiatry page on my PoultryPedia.com website.

I would lay paper towels over the top of his bedding for the next few days, so it's easier for him to step forward without his toes catching on shavings or other bedding. I'd change them frequently to minimize muck buildup on his feet.

If you need to separate him from the group of other chicks for a few days for this bedding plan to be practical, you might want to. There is a section with tips on this called "Separate from Others" on the Podiatry webpage. There is also info on giving aspirin in the Give Painkiller section. In his case, I'd scratch just a little bit of powder off the side of an aspirin pill & sprinkle on a treat for him. There are also other tips on the webpage that might be helpful, too.

He's under enough stress that as much special nutritional help as you can give him may REALLY make a difference. A little extra vitamins & electrolytes, unsweetened yogurt, tiny bits of soft (banana) or blended up fruit, etc.

I'm glad you did the hobbling. You may have a chance of still helping out this little guy.

 

[JRchickchick]

Thank you everybody for ideas and pictures. My little Golden Sex Link sure was cute, but I didn't look at her feet close enough when I bought her, they tend to wiggle so much when I picked them all up!

I now have a little shoe on her made from Duct Tape, but now read that that can be difficult to remove. I'll change it out and find a bandaid to use, probably the fabric kind.

Chick shoes...the others will be jealous!

 

[PoultryPedia]

...Chick shoes...the others will be jealous!

Let us know how things go with her. I'm glad you spotted her problem.