Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

One chick we hatched tonight and it has curled toes AND splayed legs!!! What should I do?? Poor little chick!!

 

[LovinMyPeeps]

Quote:
Boots made of cardboard and tape, and pipe cleaner figure 8 hobbles. It has a chance. For the boots, flatten it's little toes out and tape them down, then hobble it to keep its legs together. You'll have to separate it into a different brooder so it doesn't have to fight as hard for food and water.

 

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

Thanks, is it OK if I keep him like that overnight?

 

[Stellar]

That is why you don't use paper towel (I saw you post to use it instead of pine shavings...)

But it may make it if you follow the directions giving by the OP

 

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

Thanks!! I am now using wood shavings!!

 

[joe125]

Paper towels didn't do this. A dime will get you a dollar, that chick was busted out.
Also, you can't save every chick. Sometimes no matter what you do, chicks will die. I hate when it happens!

Curled toes is usually caused by hot/cold spots and wild humidity swings during incubation/hatching, or in very rare cases genetic problems. Either of which are exacerbated by people busting chicks out of the shell, that should be their coffin.
Splay leg is caused when chicks have to stand on a slick surface, because their warm jello cartilage hasn't reached the Knox block stage, as well as bones not calcifying yet (It's a quail thing). It's a genetic trade off for their rapid hatch time. After 3 or 4 days, they should be able to stand on most any surface. Glass, wire, and....JUST SHOOT ME NOW...NEWSPAPER!

Acceptable surfaces for 1-5 day old chicks for me: Paper towels. The good stuff, not the stuff you steal from the toilet at work. I don't want to recommend any brand names, but I use the most expensive paper towel known to man. It rhymes with COUNTY. I use plastic totes with a thin layer pine shavings, topped with the paper gold for 5-7 days then it's on to shavings, or the test wire bottom pen.

Other surfaces include, but are not limited to: Wood shavings, rubber shelf liner, or cloth/towels. Chicks can stand fine on any of those, they all have their up and down sides, but are fine for giving traction to newly hatched quail fuzzy butts.

 

[PineappleMama]

You want expensive PT then try Viva...
http://www.thethriftymama.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/free-viva-paper-towels.jpg

That's dern near a cloth hankie it is... nice, but VERY pricey... but if your nose is really raw from a cold... heaven.

Give the binding a go, but if the poor thing doesn't get better you may have to cull. It'd be cruel to make the little tucker sit there and starve/dehydrate because he can't waddle to the water and food.

This comes from the one who doesn't have quail and flipped the frock out today when I had to take doggie to the vet so I'll pass you a whole CARTON of salt.... not just a grain.

 

[joe125]

Quote:
I didn't want to start a paper towel war, but viva is also an acceptable quail surface.

Your avatar is a pumpkin 3.14....PIE. I love it!

 

[PineappleMama]

Me either... just when "the most expensive brand" was brought up I was surprised to see that B word... instead of the V word. My MIL used to buy nothing but those dern things... VERY VERY nice... I confess... but so pricey. Really, if they're only gonna get covered in poo, dust, stove gunk, or toilet ick why shell out for the fancy stuff? Leastways that's my opinion... but then I splurge on heavy duty cleaning gloves too.

 

[Madcap621]

Goys.................Crying crocodile tears here....BT...DT...less than 50% salvage [w/chicken chicks] ,