Newly hatched chick born with broke toes ... tough time getting out

[tnchickenut]

I don't have a question but wanted to post my experience, so others may "google" it later.

I have just hatched a baby chick who tried for 3 days to get out of the shell. three toes (two on one foot, one on the other) were broke already.

You can tell a broke bone in the leg and foot of a chick because it will be red and inflamed as well as crooked.

So, I wrapped each individual broke toe with tape, and it isn't perfect (those tiny toes are hard to work with) but it straightened them out alot more. I'll be leaving it on there for a full week before I take it off and see how it worked. If it falls off in the meantime... I will replace the tape.

Like I said, I see alot of "crooked toe" posts on here... so I thought I would write my treatment for it. I have done it before with success and done it without success. It's better to try and fail, though, then never try at all.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

How is your little one doing? Wonder how the toes were broken before hatching?

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
The toes are ALOT more straight now, though, not perfect. They were pointing completely backwards!

All I can think is that since it took three days to get out (and really I got it out at that point) it might have broke them struggling. It pipped, and halfway zipped and that was it. It literally had fluffed out around the "zip" and was stuck to the shell. I always keep a pair of tweezers near when hatching... I just gentley broke the shell closer to the baby so it wouldn't be totting the whole bottom half of the eggshell around. Poor thing has had a hard time.