Crooked Toes *Lots of Pics*

[Horsefly]

I just had a chick hatch out yesterday morning around 8:30. It was the first to hatch and looked fine. This was my first time hatching chicks. Well we took it out around 1pm today along with 2 other chicks. It's been keeping one of it's eyes shut though it will open it when suprised and the eye looks fine (no discharge or cloudyness). Also two of it's toes on each foot are crooked at the joint. I can tape them strait right? How do I do that? It's running around with the others and eating and drinking. The only thing I have noticed is it seems to like to sleep standing up. The others will be sprawled out and he will be standing with his head between his legs nodding off. I think he does lay down eventually. Thanks for any help.

 

[BooBear]

Baby chics are funny when they fall asleep. They run around then sundenly stop and fall asleep standing, they begin to slowly fall forward with their heads down and butts up. then when really sleep they fall down and sleeeepp. Only to hop back up in 5 minutes to start all over.

The feet thingy I will let someone with loads of experience answer as I am not sure on it.

 

[Jferlisi]

Ya they do the standing sleeping thing. I think its so funny. As for the toe thing yes i believe you just tap them together.

 

[Horsefly]

I've had chicks before so I know their funny habits. It seem he is doing it more than the others though, I don't know if that would mean anything. Should I tape his toes to a piece of cardboard in a foot shape? Or sandwich his toes between two peices of tape? I have ended up with chickens with crooked toes before and it's harder for them to perch and stuff so I want to straiten them. It also seems his legs and toes are white and scaley on top but normal on the backs and bottoms, it's kind of weird. If I can get my laptop to connect to the Internet I will try and post pictures.

 

[Horsefly]

I cut out a foot shape of cardboard and then taped each toe to the shoe. He seems to get around pretty good in them and after some initial pecking at them from him and his broodmates nobody notices anymore. He is also opening his eye today, must of got something in it last night. I'll leave the boot for a few days and them maybe change it or if his feet look good will let him go. He is perky and has earned the name Boots. I'll put up a picture some time soon, camera is in the other room and I'm too lazy to go find it.
I'm upset right now because I had a late hatcher this morning. I figured he had been in the incubator long enough and read somewhere that for minimal stress to give them food and water within a day. All the others I took out after 24 hrs had gone by. He had some crooked toes too so I made him a pair of shoes and got him all taped up. He was still a bit wobbly and couldn't walk that well yet but I added him to the other 4 that I hatched. Well he was good and I left for 30 min and when I came back he had drowned in the waterer

. I shouldn't of taken him out so early or should of put marbles or something in the waterer. It looked like he had laid down with his head in the waterer and couldn't get up for some reason. I hope it wasn't the shoes but I don't think it was. I feel horrible but I'm trying not to blame myself to much these things happen. At least I have 4 others.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[Jferlisi]

I am sorry that you lost boots. It might have been that he was just not a health chickie and thats why he couldn't walk right and the whole eye and legs thing.

 

[Amyable]

Sorry about the other chick. It does happen.

I too had a chick with crooked toes this spring (a Polish.) I did a search and found a way that may be a little easier than cardboard: pipe cleaners from a craft store. bend them into a chicken foot shape (double back for extra strength) and tape the toes to it. I kept it on the chick for a couple days. Couldn't tell which had the crooked toes after a few weeks, worked very well. Good Luck.

 

[CMV]

Quote:
Thanks for the tip! Great idea.

 

[Horsefly]

Thanks yall, I might try the pipe cleaners when I need to change the shoes. Here are my before and after pictures:
Here he is just hatched

I thought I had a better picture than this but this is the only one I took. Both feet looked like this.

Here are him checking out his boots before I put them on.

And a couple of them on him

And some cute pictures

This is Chip

This is Hot Ride

And this is Fridgey