Poor little silkie with bent, bent feet

[radioladio]

Hi everyone!

My name is JeniSage. My housemates and I are first-time backyard chickeners. I have a question for those of you who are more experienced in baby chick-raising. We have a little baby silkie who has a couple of really messed up feet. They're both pretty bent and twisted, like she had some trouble hatching, and she has some difficulty walking. I don't know if they are causing her pain, and/or will become a problem when she starts trying to roost. She seems healthy and spry otherwise. We're looking for a local vet whom we could consult with, but in the meantime, I figured I'd ask the people. What do you think we should do? I feel so bad for this little lady.

 

[TTracy]

Here is a great site on spraddle leg and curled toes in chicks with treatments. Good Luck!

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/spraddle-leg-in-baby-chicks-what-is-it.html

 

[misbhaven]

I have a dorking chick I am treating for bent toes. I found it on another website. I cut a kite shape out of light cardboard from a 12 pack . Cut the back tip off which made it chick foot shaped. Wrapped a bandaide sticky side up. Around the cardboard pressed the little toes in to the bandaide in proper position wrapped another badaide on top ... made a chicken shoe basically. Then I put vet wrap to make the splayed leg bridge . The chick was over a week old and walking very poorly. On the side and tops of his toes..I took just the shoe off and it was 75% better after one day..I let him hop around for a bit with just the bridge on ane made a new clean shoe.. I. Read and read and founf this method and it is working. The toes was flat just the toes rolled a bit. I do remember it said it could take between 4 days and 2 weeks to fix

 

[radioladio]

Thanks for the replies!
So, here's a thing: her toes are 100% wonky. Including the fourth toe that is supposed to face backward. Here is a picture:

It's just so bendy down there. I'm not sure whether that makes a huge difference, but she definitely makes a lot of noise when we try to maneuver them into their proper place, like it's hurting her. Any insight? I'm afraid to make her a baby chicken sandal if it's going to be super painful.

 

[misbhaven]

mine only had one foot that bad...the thing is with feet that bad without some sort of fix and the sooner the better the fett will become that way forever...the chick will protest more that you are messing with it than pain, but have some one help you and get them the best you can on the first day....re apply as many days as needed the feet will probably not be 100% ...most will tell you to cull it but if you want to save it you have to try...do a sandle just on the worst foot and the bridge between the legs the first day.. then do the second foot...you might have to put the chick in a coffee cup for a bit so it get used to standing on it shoes and the leg bridge just 30 minutes or so..