Crooked Toes

[Summer98]

I just noticed my three week old EE chick has crooked toes. She runs around fine and even scratches at the ground. So I guess I'm not going to worry about her. It sounds like she can be a happy adult with crooked toes. I'm not sure how it will affect her roosting though, but she seems healthy, happy, and friendly.

 

[chooks4life]

Quote: If they can't walk, something is seriously wrong. If you post a good photo someone may be able to diagnose what it is. One crooked toe doesn't cripple a chook.

Quote: Can be either of course. I've never used an artificial incubator but had splay/spraddle legged chicks from bad genes from one rooster. Sneaky. Taught me to check scale lining, and what the warning signs are. So many beautiful, great chooks I can't breed on with, lol!

I also got one turkey hen who passes on a trait for one outside toe pointing backwards. And she also has something in her oviduct that scrapes the spots off her eggs --- no idea what that is, but she passes that on too.

 

[daniel rainey]

I have herd that any growers under fake lighting is more likly to get bad toes but i dont know for sure if its right

 

[chooks4life]

It is, because the light they receive affects their processing of nutrients as well as their hormones, and thus their growth etc. Sunshine is always best for babies' health, IMO.

 

[16chcknz]

my Wyandotte pullet gets along very well with a crooked toe. she even goes to the top roost and can hop down.

 

[Jhawker]

I have two 4-6 week old Jubilee Orpington chicks with crooked toes. One is much worse than the other. I suspect it's too late to do anything with them. The other JO chicks have good feet.

 

[dc3085]

Humidity and temperature fluctuations during incubation are as likely to cause crooked toes as gentics. Maybe moreso.

There is little that can be done at any stage, but as long as they can easily access feed and water there is no need to address the issue really.

Personally, I avoid breeding any birds with physical defects because its impossible to tell if the defect is environmental or genetic. For most backyard layers its just additional character though.

 

[Jhawker]

Thanks, I purchased them as chicks. I wouldn't want to keep them for breeding, but they would be pretty pets or backyard layers for someone.

 

[vine dancer]

I just noticed my oldest hen, a Bantam Cochin, about 5 0r 6, has lost a toe! Her toes have gotten brittle- looking and twig-like, and her nails are VERY long. Should I have been trimming her nails? Is it too late now? She's eldest in a flock of 7 laying hens, in a nice coop with a big run, and gets let out to forage in the garden several afternoons a week.

 

[chooks4life]

I just noticed my oldest hen, a Bantam Cochin, about 5 0r 6, has lost a toe! Her toes have gotten brittle- looking and twig-like, and her nails are VERY long. Should I have been trimming her nails? Is it too late now? She's eldest in a flock of 7 laying hens, in a nice coop with a big run, and gets let out to forage in the garden several afternoons a week.

For more replies it helps to post in a new thread, since many people won't even see your post in this old one.

On to your question: sounds to me maybe like there are other health problems here. Very thin toes generally means the rest of the bird is wasted as well. It may be a sign of advanced scaly leg mite though. They can and do lose toes in advanced cases.

In a coop with the ability to scratch around, rather than live on mesh or concrete, her claws wouldn't normally need trimming. Does she scratch around at all? It's also possible that she's been ill for a long time, not exhibiting normal foraging behavior or exercising more than necessary to survive, and you've only just noticed now. They can be very good at hiding it.

Can you check her at night time on the perch, feel her crop, her breast muscle, and her abdomen?

If the crop is rock hard, or very squishy like it's full of water but no food, either of those extremes can indicate issues; for example crop impaction or blockage in the case of a hard crop, which can cause wasting, or squishiness in the case of sour crop which can also cause wasting.

If her breast muscle is mostly gone, there's a good chance she's in trouble. They can lose a heck of a lot of muscle mass without dying, but once they've gone too far getting them back to full health is obviously less likely. I would also check your other hens if I were you, feel their crops, breasts and bellies/abdomens as well, to both get a good idea of their state of health and also something to compare your chook with issues to. If you're not very familiar with chook anatomy that is.

If her breast muscle is mainly gone and her abdomen is full and heavy, or even tight, it may be internal tumors, such as are pretty common due to a variety of causes including Avian Leukosis Virus and reproductive tumors in layer breeds. Could also be internal laying issues. They can all impact how normal a chicken's legs and toes look, as strange as that might sound. If her abdomen is also shrunken, something is quite off, obviously.

Very thin, twiggy looking legs and toes are usually a cause for concern because they usually indicate other, more serious problems elsewhere, but there's a chance it's just scaly leg mite. If so, any oil you soak her feet and legs in will help, it will drown them and after a few treatments (perches, nestboxes, and other chooks may need treating too) it will be gone. You would need to soak her up to the feathers on the thighs, because even if they're not obvious they can still be residing all over the legs. You don't have to soak her, really, just rub it in until the legs are good and oily.

Good luck.