Quail Chick Curled Feet, Please Help :(

[ZsBeez]

Thanks for the post. It took over four day for my last batch to hatch. This can't be good. My last two have the curled toes.

 

[BobDBirdDog]

In my experience's, I think turning has something to do with it as well. I failed to turn a setting a couple years back as I was sick, and got quite a few balled feet.

My solution is aluminum metal duct-tape (wally world) not the Grey cloth like duct tape.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Duck-Brand-HVAC-Aluminum-Foil-Repair-Tape-1.88-x-50-yds/17300797

This duct tape is metallic aluminum so there is no fumbling around with pipe cleaners. Just cut a small rectangle section the tape about the size of the foot in normal position (the longest toe and the 2 side toes.

Cut to the diagram below, fold and peel the tape half way to expose the sticky and straighten the feet. Place the foot at one point, facing the widest part and spread the toes out in normal position and stick them down. Then finish peeling the tape and expose the rest of the sticky and fold over the other half of the tape to make the top of the """"SHOE/cast". Leave it for a few days.



(Link to Better and updated instructions in the BYC thread I created
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1160459/curing-balled-feet-and-curled-toes-on-docs).


You can crease the tape around the toes and it will help more to hold the toes in place.

As the chick start moving around more, he will get it dirty and wet, so when the time comes to remove it, the tape will peal off rather easily with a pair of tweezers.


The tape is more expensive (about $8.00) but 50 yards will make more than enough cast for a life time....if you need that many! If that is the case,you should take a look at your incubation process or look into getting new birds with better genetics.

 

[birdmandan]

This is interesting... many people are claiming treatment is required. But some people are saying it will uncurl in a matter of days. If the 'successful' treatments were not implemented, would the condition have resolved itself?

 

[Malikshahzad]

Dear recently i read post about curled feet of quail chicks, i also love quails now i have 2 pair of quails but some problems still not easy, any way can you send me your chicks pictures ?

 

[Ulaidian]

I actually have one like this atm, so am wondering if I should leave it a few days, or try to 'correct' it somehow?

 

[birdmandan]

Actually, many of the newly hatched quails of mine had curled toes. Within a few days, just about all of them self corrected. The inside of an egg is round so a bit of curling seems normal.

 

[Ulaidian]

I'm thinking so.. it is waddling around rightly, and I've been stretching out it's wee feet as and when. Seems to be working.
Re the eggs, that makes sense.. not a lot of room in thon wee eggs.

 

[Snowingamanda]

We just hatched some quail and 2 had curled toes, plus one had crooked leg (not splayed but at a weird angle). We tried to treat them by making bandaid booties and a band to keep legs in the right position, like you would do for splayed leg. Before we did it both quail chicks were moving around as efficiently as their flat-toed sibs. They ate, frank, and appeared heathy. After boots were placed on them they had struggled to keep themselves upright and pecked at the bandaids continuously. After a few hours we noticed that they were shaking and panting. We removed the bands that held legs together and left just booties. The one with crooked legs passed shortly after. The other one adapted to the bootie and ran around with the rest but at night he fell in the water dish because the bootie tripped him. The dish was shallow so he didn’t drown but as he got wet he lost heat and energy and couldn’t get himself out of the wrt dish. We found him dead in the morning.
Now I have another chick that I helped hatch as she is 5 or 6 days overdue and she has crooked feet and if she can get around like others did I will not treat her. If not for those booties the others would have made it too

 

[CarleeG]

For me, the curled toes seem to correct themselves only if the bird is walking around on it’s own. If they are on their back and rolling around, I haven’t had any success with getting them to walk and uncurling the toes.

 

[SteveUK]

From what I've read. I'm not sure inbreeding quail affects anything other than fertility.
There is a different between inbreeding and bad breeding.
Would I breed from a chick born with a deformity? No.
Would I breed from good examples of closely related birds? Yes.
Therefore, is it best to cull deformed chicks?
That's an individual choice.