Can this chicks toe be fixed? good to breed with?

[Maddison]

It's bent a lot. It wasn't to my knowledge like that when it was born, it was only slightly bent. somehow it got worse as it aged? it also has very slightly bent toes at the nails too, it's over two days old. can I fix this chicks toe? it's on both legs. I've tried and it appears I could correct it back in place so I would be able to bandage it, but I don't want to fix what doesn't need fixing. it walks fine and eats/drinks fine etc. I plan on breeding with it so since it's not genetic (I was feeding my hens the wrong stuff) will it pass this on to its chicks? its the only pure NN hen chick I got from this batch and I really need it to be fit for breeding, I've already got a pure NN rooster chick 2 months old set aside for breeding! its bad resolution so I've highlighted the toe, and also the bend. I also have another chick like this but its only slightly bent unlike this one and I don't plan to breed with that one so I'm not too worried about that one.

 

[venymae]

yep, with bandaid shoes! Google chicken bandaid boot/shoes. It will give you some picture examples.

 

[mustangrooster]

Well, it depends. It could really go both ways.

I had a chick not too long ago who hatched out with all of her toes bent, I fixed it with bandaid shoes. She had them on for about a week and her feet improved daily, she is now a happy 6-week old chick with straight toes. But I know thats because I caught it early, I could fix it.



However, on the other hand, a while ago I had a 'special needs' chick who had her toes on one leg bent in all directions. Her situation though, is a bit different to your chicks, as I believe when she was around one week old she got stood on by an older duckling, also resulting in a hip problem and a permanent splayed leg that caused many problems.

I could never fix her toes. No matter how hard I tried. As she got older her toes 'set' and I couldn't fix it, I tried everything but nope. She was happy for the most part, and she was mobile and eating/drinking.

Chances are if you start the band-aid shoes now, you can fix it. Don't leave it too long otherwise, it gets a lot harder to fix. Make sure to change the band-aid shoes daily, especially since she is a young growing chick. She might walk funny and try to peck them at first, but she'll get used to it.

Best of luck,
-Mustang

 

[ChickNanny13]

You fed the hens the wrong stuff, what were you feeding them? What are you feeding them now? What are you feeding the chick? How old is it?

It's sounding to be Riboflavin Deficiency/Vitamin B2 - PolyVisol no iron 2 - 3 drops per day, B Complex 1/2 tablet, beef liver, boiled egg yolk, spinach, mushrooms, sesame seed, tuna, plain yogurt ... You could tape the toes straight, when caught early enough it will straighten out. You can search Curly Toe Paralysis

I wouldn't use this chick for breeding, it could be hereditary and/or it could be nutritional from the parents. Hopefully others with more experience will be peeping in....

@Eggcessive @junebuggena @casportpony

 

[Maddison]

You fed the hens the wrong stuff, what were you feeding them? What are you feeding them now? What are you feeding the chick? How old is it?

It's sounding to be Riboflavin Deficiency/Vitamin B2 - PolyVisol no iron 2 - 3 drops per day, B Complex 1/2 tablet, beef liver, boiled egg yolk, spinach, mushrooms, sesame seed, tuna, plain yogurt ... You could tape the toes straight, when caught early enough it will straighten out. You can search Curly Toe Paralysis

I wouldn't use this chick for breeding, it could be hereditary and/or it could be nutritional from the parents. Hopefully, others with more experience will be peeping in....

@Eggcessive @junebuggena @casportpony

I know for a fact it was caused by lack of vitamins from the parents, I was feeding them scratch mix but they are now on layer crumble. the chicks are eating medicated chick starter. I've just lost 4 eggs that failed to pip because of vitamin deficiency, and one malposition. I've ruled out all possible causes and Im sure its what I feed my hens. even if its not hereditary will its chicks inherit this? also I beleive the chick is about a week old, maybe younger.

 

[venymae]

Although I should add, a crooked toe is not that big of deal (As long as they can get around)

 

[Maddison]

Although I should add, a crooked toe is not that big of deal (As long as they can get around)

it can get around fine, it's mainly its breed-ability I'm worried about. I can wait till next batch and probably get more, healthier chicks, although that just means my little roo will be months older than his ladies, and I will have to separate the girls until they lay as to avoid prolapsed vent in the future. I guess it just would have been nice to get one pure NN bantam out of this batch, but not all dreams come true I guess...

 

[venymae]

Sorry, do you not have the original hens?

 

[Maddison]

Sorry, do you not have the original hens?

I do, but they have bowties and I'm trying to breed it out of them to get pure NN. I have about %20 chance of getting pure NN out of my breeders (average of 15 eggs) which is why its crucial I get some pure ones as close to each others age as possible. my main roo is mostly NN with 2 feathers in his neck, my only white bantam is the same, and then my grey and orange have mostly bowtie. other than this chick I have one healthy non-bantam one but it has 2 feathers in its neck, which I'm hesitant to breed with. my goal here is to get %100 pure NN chicks so there chicks will be pure NN. after I reace this goal I will be breeding pure NN so I don't want to have any bowtie ones to mess up the process. Its a stretch but If I can get there I won't have to mess around mixing and matching to get pure NN later.

 

[Maddison]

anyone? still haven't gotten a straight answer to one of my questions...