Chick with Deformed Feet?

[piper123]

One of my chicks has severely deformed feet. This is not our first batch of chicks but I've never seen this before. Her toes curl inward on both feet and on one she walks on her ankle. We have tried cardboard shoes and they haven't helped at all. We are now giving her yogurt for more vitamins and B2 but nothing seems to help. She doesn't seem in pain but it does hinder her movement and takes a lot of effort for her to just walk from one end of the brooder to the other. Any suggestions?

 

[iwiw60]

One of my chicks has severely deformed feet. This is not our first batch of chicks but I've never seen this before. Her toes curl inward on both feet and on one she walks on her ankle. We have tried cardboard shoes and they haven't helped at all. We are now giving her yogurt for more vitamins and B2 but nothing seems to help. She doesn't seem in pain but it does hinder her movement and takes a lot of effort for her to just walk from one end of the brooder to the other. Any suggestions?

Here's some great information on curled toes (and spraddle legs):

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/search?q=curled+toes

Scroll down the page some and you'll find the section for curled toes...good luck, hope everything works out!

 

[piper123]

Thank you, this website was a good one I found earlier. Unfortunately there is nothing I have found that I haven't already tried

 

[coorusu]

how old is the chick? do you have any pictures?

if it's older than one week, it'll take time for it's toes to get back into place. what you need to do is bend the toes and foot into their proper place, put cardboard at the bottom to make a snowshoe, and either tape it or vetwrap it on tight so the toes don't curl back. the problem with shoes, however, is that it becomes a challenge for the chick to move around, so you'll have to keep an eye on it to make sure it's getting food and water. i don't think the vitamins will do too much good if it was born like that, tbh. and if that doesn't help, you could try breaking the toes and setting them? i wouldn't recommend it, but it's an idea!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would get some B complex vitamins, or just riboflavin (B2) and give it to her. With curled toe paralysis, if it is not treated quickly, this position becomes hard to treat. It is difficult to treat most of the time, and it may be best to put her down if it doesn't help. A lot of this depends on how much time you have to deal with it. Good luck, and here is a link to read: http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou..._poultry/vitamin_deficiencies_in_poultry.html

 

[piper123]

She is over a week but I did not hatch them and she is a runt so I'm not sure. Definitely less than three weeks...I will work on getting a picture posted. We had her on cardboard shoes for almost a week and they didn't straighten her toes, although in her case she actually walks better with the shoes so we've left them on. I might try vet wrap instead of tape though...

She does get enough food and water and the other chicks don't seem to bother her so I'm not too worried about that.

 

[piper123]

I would get some B complex vitamins, or just riboflavin (B2) and give it to her.  With curled toe paralysis, if it is not treated quickly, this position becomes hard to treat.  It is difficult to treat most of the time, and it may be best to put her down if it doesn't help.  A lot of this depends on how much time you have to deal with it.  Good luck, and here is a link to read:  http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou..._poultry/vitamin_deficiencies_in_poultry.html

Thank you for the link! Very helpful I am not planning on putting her down (unless she is in pain of course) and I have enough time to deal with her feet. But if her legs don't get better, will she be okay as a pet? I wouldn't be breeding her or anything. I'm mainly worried about how this will affect her long term?

 

[piper123]

It's kind of hard to see but that foot in the picture is the worst one. The other is not as bad...

 

[piper123]

Here this one isn't as dark.

 

[piper123]

I just want to know how it will affect her long term if we cannot fix it. Will this be a problem when she is an adult?