Let's try here.. Curled toes .. why

[Clay In Iowa]

I've had a few chicks hatch out perfectly. No problems at all, every thing including their feet looks fine. Then around 7 to 10 days up to 2 weeks later I notice their toes starting to curl. By two - three weeks they look like a fist. It's not from one breed or one breeder. I get one from almost every hatch and every breed.

Why????? what am I screwing up now????

I'm feeding chick starter with an occasional meal worm treat.

 

[justusnak]

Hmm, Im not completely sure on this...I have had a few do this myself. I have no idea why...sometimes it just happens. Not to all...just one here and one there.

 

[fourfeathers]

What type of flooring or cage bottom are they on?

 

[Clay In Iowa]

I'm using pine shavings over rough plywood in the brooder.

 

[HidingInTheHenHouse]

I could be some sort of vitamin deficiency maybe? I would try giving them Poly vi sol, or add a vit/elect. supplement to the water. Can they walk okay? Do they have any other symptoms?

 

[Clay In Iowa]

They walk just fine, in fact it doesn't seem to bother them at all.

No other symptoms. They are as big and healthy as all the others form the same hatch(s).

 

[illinichick]

last year, I took home chicks from the school hatching project. Two of the five had bent toes. I read on here somewhere that it could have been from low humidity in the incubator. This makes sense, since they were hatched here at school and it's impossible to keep the kids out of the incubator. These hens are almost one year old now and are doing fine.

 

[pips&peeps]

From what I can recall that sort of curling (after hatching) is from a vitamin deficiency.

If they hatch with curled toes it is a temperature problem in the incubator.

 

[Clay In Iowa]

So I guess the solution is to get some vities for their water.

Yes? /no?

 

[mypicklebird]

are you feeding them hen food or chick food> You wrote hen start- which doesn't make sense to me. If you are feeding the hen crumble or pellet, get them off of that ASAP, the minerals are wrong (way too much calcium) plus probably other things as well.
Vitamin/mineral imbalance or deficiency, genetics or incubation issue.
Storey's chicken book says crooked toes can be due to vit E deficiency, low incubation humidity, injury, cold brooder floors- and for unknown cause- infrared light and wire mesh floors?
if none of the above sound right for your situation, I would switch to a new bag and new brand of chick start. right around 2 weeks is when the last of the vitamins are used up from the internal yolk sac, and they are depending on only what you feed them- so around 14 days is when the first signs of diet deficiencies show up. Sooner if the hens were on a deficient diet.