Bought 8, 3 day old chicks yesterday - one with bad foot...help!

[cluckcluck10]

I bought chicks yesterday from a farm about an hour and a half from where I live - very clean, very nice place and it was very obvious the owner had much experience. We bought 8 chicks and this afternoon I noticed one chick's toes on one of its feet are pointing to the side and curled under. I e-mailed the guy I bought them from and he was very accomodating - offering a replacement. My only issue is the drive to the farm and that I prob won't be able to get there until this weekend because it is so far away. What will happen if I don't replace the chick and just keep it? Will the chick die from something like this? What do I need to do moving forward?
Thanks,
Lauren

 

[sourland]

If the curled toes do not impede the chick's movements and it is able to walk, eat, and drink it can live a basically normal life with such a problem.

 

[Eggcessive]

Get some vitamins, either chick vitamins for the water, or polyvisol baby vitamins and give 1-2 dropsdaily by mouth or on food. Toe issues are usually vitamin related or genetic. Google Poultrypedia podiatry and click on the link for good advice on foot and leg issues

 

[buttercup95]

I had this EXACT same problem with a quail chick. What kind of bedding are you using? If you have newspaper you should change it to card board or something the chicks can grip. I changed mine over to pine shavings about three days after I took it out of the incubator and now, two weeks later, it walks fine. Although I do admit worrying about it a lot and I took it out sometimes to try and gently make it perch on my finger. I'm not sure if me doing that helped but the quail is walking fine today.