Chick With Extra Toes Struggling To Walk?

[seaslugcecil]

Hey there, I'm usually a lurker on these foruma but I am becoming a first time poster because I've come across an odd situation with one of my new chicks.

I ordered four day old chicks for one of my hens to surrogate mother, they are currently 11 days old. The hen accepted all of them immediately and has been taking great care of them, she's the best mama. All of them have been eating and drinking well since they arrived.

I noticed earlier today that one of them, the one I believe to be my blue-laced red wyandotte, was struggling to walk and stand properly. Previously she had been standing and walking perfectly fine and was the most energetic of the chicks right off the bat. Today I observed her laying down a lot and only walking in short bursts followed by more resting, or trying to walk on her haunches. At bedtime she was struggling to get into the box momma was in, which has a 1 inch lip at the front that they usually can get in perfectly fine. I began to inspect her and I realized she has 5 toes on each foot! There is an extra toe attatched to her back toe on each foot. I observed her standing and she was only standing on her front three toes, the back not touching the floor.
Previously I've observed her sitting/laying a bit more than the others but she would still be just about as active as the other three chicks. I never noticed anything odd about her feet when she was a day old so I'm thinking the extra toe just hadn't been big enough to notice before, and as she is growing it has become more prominent.


I have raised chickens before this, including some from chicks, and I have never encountered this before. All of them have been four toed and been able to walk perfectly fine so this is very new for me.


If anyone has experience with this situation, how can I help her walk? Do I need to take her to the vet? I would like her to grow up unhindered and healthy, especially since the wyandotte is one of the chickens I find most beautiful with their feather patterns.


Pictures attatched below. Pics of the feet, the chick standing, and how she has been sitting most of the time.

 

[Callender Girl]

Sorry about your BLRW; I have one and also think they are among the most beautifully colored chickens.

I almost always panic and take any of my critters to a vet when I even suspect anything is wrong. Iif you can take her to a vet who really knows chickens, I would, if for no other reason, just the peace of mind it can bring, knowing you are doing everything you can for her.

I've only had one chick with seriously messed up feet, and although I did my best -- making little cardboard shoes that I medical-taped to her feet -- Maxie's toes are still horribly curled, though flatter than they were. She can, however, run with the best of them and doesn't appear to be in pain. Plus, she is an egg-laying machine.

Best wishes for your baby! Please let us know how she's doing.

 

[CrspyChkn]

Hi, how is she doing today? She is very cute. I jave never heard of this before, but i think it is most likely genetic related? I wonder if you could get some sort of custom made shoes for her that allows her to walk easier? Good luck to you and your pretty little girl! Be sure to keep us updated please!

 

[SmiYa0126]

Can you paint some non toxic finger paint on the bottoms of her feet and see what kind of prints her feet make. See if she walks unevenly with one foot vs another. I looked up chickens with five toes, and there's a handful of breeds that have five toes.

Post the pics of her feet prints here and I'm sure someone would have ideas on how to help.

 

[RoyalChick]

I have never seen or heard of this in chickens (common to have extra toes in cats). One thing though, I don’t believe chickens start using their back toe until they are more grown. I could be wrong in that but I remember seeing chick footprints that only used the front three toes. So the extra back toe may not be hindering her walking.

 

[Painted Calls]

Welcome to BYC!

More than 4 toes is very common. In fact, there are certain breeds in which no less than 5 toes should be found. Salmon Faverolles is one of them, and your little chick looks like she may be one. She is definitely not any type of Wyandotte with those extra toes, feathered shanks, or beard.

As for walking, what are you feeding your chicks?

 

[SmiYa0126]

https://www.cacklehatchery.com/5-chicken-breeds-that-have-5-toes/

Here's an article that covers the breeds with five toes.

 

[CrspyChkn]

Well, i do know that there are breeds of chicken with 5 toes(I had one myself), but I have never seen them looking like that.

 

[Painted Calls]

Well, i do know that there are breeds of chicken with 5 toes(I had one myself), but I have never seen them looking like that.

That's how typical 5 toed chickens look. Maybe the ones you saw were more heavily feathered?

 

[CrspyChkn]

Huh, maybe.