➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[Pennys Mama]

I have a splay legged button quail. Generally I cull for this, but I figured I'd give it a try---what does one use to splint such a tiny bird?

A trimmed down bandaid. Sports wrap that would really need to be trimmed too. The last couple I had corrected themselves by using shavings on uneven ground, I set them in the narrow red feed dish too, that helped hold the little legs together. This big butt turkey isn't splayed but this is the dish I use for my splayed leg quail, it was right as rain after 2 days.

 

[BantyChooks]

A trimmed down bandaid. Sports wrap that would really need to be trimmed too.

 

[R2elk]

I have a splay legged button quail. Generally I cull for this, but I figured I'd give it a try---what does one use to splint such a tiny bird?

I use scotch tape trimmed down to no more than 1/8" wide on guinea keets.

 

[007Sean]

I have a splay legged button quail. Generally I cull for this, but I figured I'd give it a try---what does one use to splint such a tiny bird?

Regular size quail are hard enough to splint, buttons, almost impossible. If you got 4 hands you may be able to get tape, bandaid or vet wrap to work. I use the 'blue' paint masking tape, not as "sticky" as normal tape, less likely to pull a toe off when removing it.
Those that I have tried to splint, "kicked" it off pretty rapidly.
The good thing is "buttons" don't seem as prone to those hatching defects.
Good luck!

 

[Kiki]

I have a splay legged button quail. Generally I cull for this, but I figured I'd give it a try---what does one use to splint such a tiny bird?

Do you have something grippy on the floor for it to walk on?

 

[BantyChooks]

Regular size quail are hard enough to splint, buttons, almost impossible. If you got 4 hands you may be able to get tape, bandaid or vet wrap to work. I use the 'blue' paint masking tape, not as "sticky" as normal tape, less likely to pull a toe off when removing it.
Those that I have tried to splint, "kicked" it off pretty rapidly.
The good thing is "buttons" don't seem as prone to those hatching defects.
Good luck!

Thanks. I'll try one of those.
The ironic thing is that I have yet to have a toe or leg issue on a nice, normal sized chicken, but I've had three toe issues and two splays out of the ~12 buttons I've hatched total.

Do you have something grippy on the floor for it to walk on?

Shelving liner.

 

[007Sean]

Thanks. I'll try one of those.
The ironic thing is that I have yet to have a toe or leg issue on a nice, normal sized chicken, but I've had three toe issues and two splays out of the ~12 buttons I've hatched total.


Shelving liner.

As I said, that's unusual for buttons. Did they take a long time to hatch, once they pipped? That's usually the only time I have any splayed, curled toe issues with any of my birds. Assisted hatches with buttons rarely end well.

 

[R2elk]

The ironic thing is that I have yet to have a toe or leg issue on a nice, normal sized chicken, but I've had three toe issues and two splays out of the ~12 buttons I've hatched total.

It can be due to genetics. I used to have curled toe problems with certain chicks until I removed one particular rooster from the breeding pool.

 

[007Sean]

It can be due to genetics. I used to have curled toe problems with certain chicks until I removed one particular rooster from the breeding pool.

Yep, I had that problem with a male Reeves. I thought it had curled toes due to hatching so I kept it as a breeder, very aggressive bird.
I was wrong, it was genetics, it was also a sex-linked defect. Only his male offspring had the same right side "clubed" foot, exactly the same in appearance. None of the hen chicks had any defects.

 

[BantyChooks]

As I said, that's unusual for buttons. Did they take a long time to hatch, once they pipped? That's usually the only time I have any splayed, curled toe issues with any of my birds. Assisted hatches with buttons rarely end well.

One was an assisted hatch. No, they did not. They hatched along a normal timeframe for quail.

It can be due to genetics. I used to have curled toe problems with certain chicks until I removed one particular rooster from the breeding pool.

Yep, quite possibly, but that's still up in the air. I don't know which bird(s) are or may be at fault; I don't have enough data from hatches yet.