baby silkie with crippled foot

[rkptgirl2015]

klover, our first silkie is about 8 weeks old. it has one toe that is folded under her(?) foot. it didn't seem to bother her until recently. the other 2 babies (same age) get up on the perch, but klover can't balance on it, it is like it hurts her(?) to stand on the perch, she has gotten onto the perch but will not anymore, she just sits on the floor underneath the perch.

any suggestions on what to do? klover's mom, my husband, thinks that straightening the toe and splinting it to the next toe over is only a little better option than amputating. i want some advice before i let him play doctor.

any advice is welcome

thanks

rkptgirl

 

[sourland]

Silkies frequently have problems roosting, and many spend their entire lives sleeping on the floor, so that's not unusual. A broader/flatter perch not too high off the floor might help her. She's a little old to try straightening a toe, but I'd give it a try before turning 'Doctor Mom' loose on her.

 

[000]

My silkie doesn't ever perch. also, their wings aren't designed for flight. So that makes it hard for them to perch too.
Here is mine:

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I would just make a little "shelf" for her, a wide plywood perch that is a platform, for her to get up a bit higher off the floor and make her feel secure. You can put it up on some concrete blocks or something. I would aim for about 6- 10 inches off the floor. Or you can let her stay on the ground.

Silkies aren't totally desperate to roost, as Sourland and chickens 102403 said. But if she wants to be with the others that would help.

You can put sand on the platform to help make it easier to scrape off the droppings. (I use sand in my coop. I wear an N95 mask when sifting sand with kitty litter scoop.)

I would leave her toes alone as she is too old to get them to retrain from my understanding. I have read that you only have a few days to train toes by splinting after birth.

Amputation is a major ordeal and if she is only having trouble roosting and isn't suffering, then I'd just do the platform. There are many chickens out there with crooked toes who get along fine.

Just monitor for problems like bumblefoot (look for a black scab under the foot) or swollen/reddened areas - monitor for infection in other words, and help to keep feet clean. I would definitely wash her feet if she needs help with that every so often!

Silkies sometimes need a little help with toenail clipping too (clip just the very tips off and have blood stop powder available- the quick will move downward and you can clip again later after it moves).

Enjoy your little silkie!

 

[rkptgirl2015]

thank you for the information, i feel fortunate to have found this site.
i have so many questions, your answers are easy to understand, and make sense.

so... i have a few questions, again.

i have 5 baby silkies (3@ 7 wks \ 2@ 5 wks ) three of the babies are showing signs of being male, the other 2 are showing signs of being hennish, but three of them are crowing and one, is growling. are they mimicking 'big daddy' the ancient HUGE rooster? or do they start crowing when they are young? do the hens make crowing noises?

i hate to think about getting rid of several males, is it possible to just let them all stay together? if i do have to thin out the males, what do i do with them?
do people adopt young roosters? oh well, i probably have time to worry about that later.

thanks again
shelly