OHio ~ Come on Buckeyes, let me know your out there!

[OHfarmerswife]

I have one hen with toes like this... Is this normal???

Hi Komodo
Crooked ties can be correct when they are chicks if caught right away. Crooked toes are considered a defect & you wouldn't want to hatch any eggs from this chicken or use it as a breeding rooster as sometimes it can pass from generation to generation.

 

[Laurel Meadows]

I have one hen with toes like this... Is this normal???

Like OHFarmerswife said, yes it can be a genetic issue but there can be other causes of it too that may not mean your hen has a genetic defect. Incorrect temperature during incubation (if she wasn't hatched under a broody) is a common cause. I've also read that riboflavin deficiencies in the parent birds can cause toe problems as well as chicks raised on wire may develop this condition.

I have a hen with badly curled toes on both feet- when I got her she was too old to correct it. I did test hatch a couple of her eggs to see if this was genetic and both her offspring have perfect toes. The farmer who gave her to me said she was hatched in a classroom incubator so I suspect temp issues were the problem in her case. Bottom line it isn't always a problem that will pass on but if you're unsure you can always keep her eggs only for eating

 

[big medicine]

Like OHFarmerswife said, yes it can be a genetic issue but there can be other causes of it too that may not mean your hen has a genetic defect. Incorrect temperature during incubation (if she wasn't hatched under a broody) is a common cause. I've also read that riboflavin deficiencies in the parent birds can cause toe problems as well as chicks raised on wire may develop this condition.

I have a hen with badly curled toes on both feet- when I got her she was too old to correct it. I did test hatch a couple of her eggs to see if this was genetic and both her offspring have perfect toes. The farmer who gave her to me said she was hatched in a classroom incubator so I suspect temp issues were the problem in her case. Bottom line it isn't always a problem that will pass on but if you're unsure you can always keep her eggs only for eating

Beat me to it. Agree on all counts. I seems to me that late chicks that struggle to get out of the egg also seem to have a higher chance of having toe or leg issues.

Given the choice of two otherwise identical birds I would not use the crooked toed bird for breeding. That being said I did use a very nice light Brahma cockerel when developing my silver laced Brahma that had a crooked toe . This bird was from a well respected long time breeder, out of his top birds, with no history of toe issues in the line. I did use him in the breeding pen, produced perfect chicks with no higher rate of the problem in following generations.

 

[Laurel Meadows]

Beat me to it. Agree on all counts. I seems to me that late chicks that struggle to get out of the egg also seem to have a higher chance of having toe or leg issues.

Given the choice of two otherwise identical birds I would not use the crooked toed bird for breeding. That being said I did use a very nice light Brahma cockerel when developing my silver laced Brahma that had a crooked toe .  This bird was from a  well respected long time breeder, out of his top birds, with no history of toe issues in the line.  I did use him in the breeding pen, produced perfect chicks with no higher rate of the problem in following generations. 

It sounds like your cockerel was a very nice bird! Knowing where he came from would have convinced me to give him a try in the breeding pen too!
I had a couple chicks hatch in April who were malpositioned and took awhile to hatch that ended up with a middle toe crooked. That sure sounds consistent with your observations. No others have had issues in multiple hatches since.
The hen I mentioned with the toe problems isn't in my breeding groups but she's a top producer in my layer flock. Lays a perfect egg- so we test hatched a couple to see if she was going to pass that toe curling on in case we wanted to get more layers like her. Of course we got 2 cockerels! But they turned out to have excellent dispositions so they earned jobs keeping watch over the layer flock.

 

[big medicine]

It sounds like your cockerel was a very nice bird! Knowing where he came from would have convinced me to give him a try in the breeding pen too!
I had a couple chicks hatch in April who were malpositioned and took awhile to hatch that ended up with a middle toe crooked. That sure sounds consistent with your observations. No others have had issues in multiple hatches since.
The hen I mentioned with the toe problems isn't in my breeding groups but she's a top producer in my layer flock. Lays a perfect egg- so we test hatched a couple to see if she was going to pass that toe curling on in case we wanted to get more layers like her. Of course we got 2 cockerels! But they turned out to have excellent dispositions so they earned jobs keeping watch over the layer flock.

I would think that a cockerel out of your top producing hen would contribute genetics to improving your laying flock as well.

 

[Laurel Meadows]

I would think that a cockerel out of your top producing hen would contribute genetics to improving your laying flock as well.

That's a good point. These cockerels are out of a Splash Birchen Marans so I'm also interested to see what type of contribution they will make to egg color when bred with light brown laying hens. I haven't test hatched any from them yet, but I think I'll give some to the next one that goes broody.

 

[Laurarenee333]

hi all!

 

[teal29080]

hi all!

Hello back

 

[Laurarenee333]

Anyone here from Cincinnati or around there?

 

[big medicine]

Anyone here from Cincinnati or around there?

North side of Warren County here.