Baby chick with black toe

[DobieLover]

I wonder how that could have happened to a day old chick, Not that it couldn't happen but what it was?

The chick was shipped as a day old. Possibly the toe got injured badly enough during shipment to cut off the supply of blood. When that happens, tissue dies.

 

[WindingRoad]

Welcome to BYC. As others have stated the toe was somehow injured and resultant lack of blood flow has caused it to 'die'. It will eventually fall off, and bird will do fine with the remaining toes on that foot. Such injuries can also happen if a string gets wrapped around the toe.

That's quick in a one day old chick but then again they have very small toes.

 

[Ciaradodrill]

Hey guys Thankyou so much for the replies! I’m from Queensland Australia so I’m fairly confident to rule out frost bite as it has been very very warm here. Although we ordered day old chicks they seem to be much more active then other day olds we’ve had before so I’m feel as though they may be older, how much though I’m not sure. If it is broken how do we go about helping it?

 

[DobieLover]

Hey guys Thankyou so much for the replies! I’m from Queensland Australia so I’m fairly confident to rule out frost bite as it has been very very warm here. Although we ordered day old chicks they seem to be much more active then other day olds we’ve had before so I’m feel as though they may be older, how much though I’m not sure. If it is broken how do we go about helping it?

The toe is already dead. Leave it alone. It will fall off on its own.
Just watch for any signs of infection.

 

[Ciaradodrill]

I have also been soaking the foot in Epsom salts and applying antiseptic cream, do you think I should continue to do this?

 

[Ciaradodrill]

The toe is already dead. Leave it alone. It will fall off on its own.
Just watch for any signs of infection.

Okay, thankyou so much

 

[WindingRoad]

The chick was shipped as a day old. Possibly the toe got injured badly enough during shipment to cut off the supply of blood. When that happens, tissue dies.

Yeah we used to call them tootsie rolls when it happened in the hospital. I understand the concept just curious how it happened. Usually young ones have rather flexible appendages.

 

[2 many chickens]

I have also been soaking the foot in Epsom salts and applying antiseptic cream, do you think I should continue to do this?

No that little toe is dead as a doornail. Let it shrivel up and flop off. Poor Lil 2 toe baby.

 

[Redhead Rae]

No that little toe is dead as a doornail. Let it shrivel up and flop off. Poor Lil 2 toe baby.

I'd name it Lucky cause it will have 7 toes instead of the normal 8

 

[azygous]

With new baby chicks, sometimes it's anyone's guess as to how they manage to get themselves into trouble at such a short time out of their egg. It's obviously a crushing injury it got somehow. Chicks are geniuses at finding ways to injure and kill themselves with very little in the way of dangerous surroundings contributing.

You can do nothing further to help the toe. It's an immune response chickens have when an extremity is severely injured. I watched over a period of time a hen I had with an injured toe go through the stages of first walling off the injury with swelling of her tissue, which cut off the blood flow, and then the toe got black, then dried out and then fell off.

After the toe falls off, the swelling of the remaining toe gradually goes away. Chickens do just splendidly with a missing toe.