Problem with Chicks Feet

5LexingtonHens

In the Brooder
6 Years
Aug 3, 2013
20
2
26
Lexington, MA
My four chicks (two EE's and two Brahmas) arrived last Wednesday. I have been handling them each day but only today noticed something wrong with one of the Brahmas feet.

It appears that two of her toes are bonded together with a web of skin between them. The condition exists on both feet. She does not appear to be in any discomfort and is eating, drinking, running about just the same as the other three chickens.

Has anyone run into this condition before? Does it cause any issues for them as time progresses?

 
I've gotten hatchery chicks with it before, usually silkies or orpingtons for some reason. In the past I have just let some go but now I prefer to get the toes separated if I can because they can scratch and walk more naturally later on as adults. If the webbing is fairly loose and the toes look otherwise normal, I just cut apart the toes with dull scissors and put some antibiotic ointment on them and tape for a day or two, doesn't seem to affect them any...you can numb the toes with an ice cube if you want.
 
So I made a small cut between the toes. It started to bleed like crazy and I did not finish separating the toes. Just taped her up and she seems to be doing fine. I think bringing her to the avian vet would be a better option. As she will be a rather big hen, better balance will probably be beneficial down the line.
 
An Avian vet would certainly be an option for a pet chicken, would be interested in how they would handle it. I do agree that as a very large breed, she is going to be better off with the more normal use of her toes. They do bleed some, but it usually stops pretty fast with pressure and taping, her toes may be fused closer together than usual or something and that may cause more than normal.
I thought I remembered seeing a blog about this.
http://successwithpoultry.blogspot.com/2011/06/maran-chick-fused-toes-surgery.html
 

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