Chick with a twisted foot.

[mordarlar]

I have a chick that i collected today who has a foot that twists to the side. Her foot is normal in every way excepting that her toes are curled out to the side of her foot instead of splayed in front of her. I have read here that a splint can be made for newly hatched chicks but this chick is about a week old. So should i skip trying to splint and just let it grow out as it is?

Thanks everyone for any help.

 

[crazygoatlady915]

I've never had to deal with this kind of issue, but I have heard that you can cut a little cardboard circle, the same diameter as it's little foot, then tape the toes down in the correct position. So that you are basically making it a little shoe. Good Luck!! I wouldn't take my word for it until you have some other posts.

 

[FMAFarms]

As long as the chick is young and her bones haven't hardened yet, you can still correct this problem. You'll want to use 1/4" wide medical adhesive tape, and simply take each crooked toe, gently straighten it out, then wrap the tape around it a few times to support the position, much like an athlete would tape a broken toe. Good luck!

 

[mordarlar]

Thank you both for the input. If i decided to leave it be would there be very serious repercussions when she reaches maturity? I will have to take a picture later but it isn't preventing her from standing on the pad of her foot.

 

[Patchesnposies]

We had a little cuckoo marans hen that had twisted feet like that. Sort of like pigeon toes, hers turned inwards not out. It did not hinder her in anyway. In fact it made her very popular with my young daughters who spoiled her. She was a pet right up until she died. Always very friendly and sociable. She died of old age. Her feet never seemed to bother her at all....they just looked a little funny.