peachick foot problem help!

[cheez2112]

with consultation and assistance from a fellow peacock raiser, he came over and determined that there is nothing that can be done to "fix" his leg/foot. He amputated his leg at the hock and so far the peachick is doing better. He sits up and is eating. It has been several hours and he is already acting better. To us, it seems as if he actually feels better, probably from not having to drag his leg around. I don't know, but we both feel this was a good step in his recovery. I will keep everyone posted on his progress!

 

[frenchblackcopper]

This thread was still fresh in my memory tonight,thus my reply.We just finished up our weekly hatch here and I had 2 stragglers,one was an egg from Thang,the other was an IB egg.All the others in this group was out and dry by Tuesday nite. Thangette was pipped last eve and was out drying off this morning.I noticed one IB egg that was pipped Thursday eve as well but really didn't pay a lot of attention until tonight when I took the new Thangette out and zip tied for identification.
The IB egg was pipped on the pointy side.Chick was alive and chirping but had made no progress since the night before.So,I began to break some shell away but noticed fresh blood on either side of the pip. Every 2 hours I chipped more shell away until finally around 10pm tonight was able to break over half the shell away when blood started dripping badly.Needless to say the peachick did not make it but while looking at it's legs and feet,,all toes on each foot was backwards,just as your peachicks was. The legs actually had a bend in the lower 1/2.The chick would have never been able to walk normally,even if it would have survived being helped out 100%
I believe that chicks that pip on the wrong side of the egg will have this problem with backwards curled toes and somewhat curved legs.Obviously your chick survived hatching but when I noticed the toes curled backwards,my chick really couldn't even turn inside the egg.Quite possibly from being in this position prevented the blood from making it's way inside the peachicks body as well.
I've helped many peachicks out before and have hit live blood vessels manytimes and know when to stop peeling,ect but this chick with absolutley no blood coming from over 1/2 the shell being gone,then to several large blood drops suddenly pouring out is strange.There appeared to be a small airsack still at the large end of the egg but on the pointy end it wasn't really an air sack-per say,,more like available space caused when the membrane elongates pulling away from the inner shell.If this peachick hadn't broken a hole thru the shell it would have suffocated rather quickly with such a small amount of air available to breathe

 

[Yoda]

Chcik 16 on my thread is doing this as well. When it was hatching it pipped the hole and then it's leg was sticking out of the hole. It did hatch out but the foot that needed taping was the one that was not out. After I took off the tape toes it was fine and 2 days ago it's good leg sticks out straight behind it and today the other leg sticks straight forward, like it is doing a split. When it needs to run it can still move. I doubt taping it will heal this little one but I will bring it to the bird vet and see what she says.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Anyone else ever think deep down that we are presented with these issues for bettering the species from what we learn and how we try to help the problem? Granted this year we havn't had near as many curled toes as in the past,thanks to advice on keeping the rh much higher but it's these other crazy things that wouldn't show up in nature for centuries.

 

[cheez2112]

day 2 after surgery: he is doing good this morning. He is up and eating/drinking. Our baby turkey is keeping him company, watching over him.

 

[casportpony]

Anyone else ever think deep down that we are presented with these issues for bettering the species from what we learn and how we try to help the problem? Granted this year we havn't had near as many curled toes as in the past,thanks to advice on keeping the rh much higher but it's these other crazy things that wouldn't show up in nature for centuries.

Yes, which is why I will not use an animal (bird or horse) for breeding if I believe the problem has a genetic component. I guess it's a little harder to know which problems are genetic vs incubator related in birds, but I guess I would not breed anything that didn't hatch normally.

I have two peacocks, both came from the feedstore with curled toes and splay legs. What I do know is that there is a lot in inbreeding going on there... Every year the hatched chicks end up back in the pen with their parents, so it's quite possible that both of mine are quite inbred, but from what many of you have said, it's also possible that these leg problems are from incubator glitches.

Hope that makes sense.

-Kathy

 

[cheez2112]

day 3: he is up and doing better everyday! getting ready to change the gauze on his leg. he hops around on his good leg and rests on his stump. we do not breed any birds here. we just took him in because no one wanted him. glad to have him as an addition to our family.

 

[Yoda]

Yes, which is why I will not use an animal (bird or horse) for breeding if I believe the problem has a genetic component. I guess it's a little harder to know which problems are genetic vs incubator related in birds, but I guess I would not breed anything that didn't hatch normally.

I have two peacocks, both came from the feedstore with curled toes and splay legs. What I do know is that there is a lot in inbreeding going on there... Every year the hatched chicks end up back in the pen with their parents, so it's quite possible that both of mine are quite inbred, but from what many of you have said, it's also possible that these leg problems are from incubator glitches.

Hope that makes sense.

-Kathy

Mine with the problem legs are from 2 different unrelated parents. The male I got in PA and the hen came from Deerman. Alot has to do with the positioning of the body during hatching. My little white chick pipped the hole and pushed his leg through the hole. It's foot was totally out of the pip hole. I had to help it out because it could not zip the shell with it's let there. Like many breeders stated, once air gets inside the egg from the first pip they have only a short amount of time to get out and while they are trying their bones are hardening. When they get "stuck" most need taping of feet and legs cause they are pushing inside the egg and the bones are getting hard thus the problems. All my "breeder" birds are seperated from each other into the color pens. I know I will need to add a few more as the first batch of charcoals from 2011 will be breeding next year and I need to know what the white birds are. If the white male produces alot of charcoals then it is a white charcoal if only a few it is white IB split to charcoal. The white hens that do not lay are white charcoal hens and if they do lay then those are white IB split to charcoal.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

After fighting curled toes and splayed legs for two seasons previous, this season both these issues has 99% disappeared. I raised my humidity levels all thru incubation and have only taped two peachicks toes and no splayed legs. The 40-45% humidity setting for the first 21 days of incubation was the culprit of these problems. If neither parent has splayed legs or curled toes but their chicks has them, wouldn't these genetic problems be hidden in the genes from generations back, if not visible? And if present before people began to raise them, how would birds with curled toes or splayed legs survive in nature to reproduce? I've had peachicks sometimes take 3 days from pip to out this season but possibly because of higher rh settings all thru incubation, none had toe or splayed leg issues. The two chicks we did tape only had 1 toe that was slightly curled where in the past all 3 toes was curled up in a ball. If your consistently having curled toe issues,raise your humidity to 55% at least all thru incubation. You should see a quick change.

 

[Yoda]

I agree with Frenchy. My humidity is above 50% from day one.