Rhode Island Red deformed toes.

[CowgirlZooom]

Hi I'm new to the group.

So I couldnt wait to get chickens when I moved to my lil farm recently. I had a flock of RIR's in the past.

I was looking for pullets at the feed store and all this one feed store had was adult hens. Well, stupid me...I gotta have em. So I buy 2. I ask no questions, I have no idea what their history is. I chose a Buff orph. and there was a RIR roosting under a table that I also chose.

Hubby gets them home the next day and I see the RIR has curled up toes. At first I want to take both the hens back because they arent laying (3 weeks) and I hear the man stated that the Buff was at least 8 yrs old. Well she laid a huge egg that was cracked open day before yesterday. I heard her squaking up a storm so I checked her and there was her first egg...cracked. Yay, she is still laying. We must have checked her 5 times yesterday. and yay, another egg, only slightly cracked. She is a sweety....but thats not my huge issue.

We know nothing about the RIR, so, yesterday she lays a marble sized egg...yay!!!!! Maybe this means she is still young enough to try to fashion some braces for her curled up toes? The tiny egg is a good indication that she is young right? So there might be hope? Her toes are so deformed, some face backwards. There is a part of me who wants to act just like the previous owner of her and throw her away as I have 14 pullets under a light in my closet right now. I could take her back to the feed store...What would you do?

 

[saulandkatarina]

I Have a hen who had curled up toes when she was little she actually couldnt stand or walk after the first week, All we did was help her get up each day , and Made sure she had plenty to eat and drink. Most Chicken will heal on their own, My hen grew to be healthy all tho she still walks really funny , Like she has a pimp in her step (to put it lightly) =) i wouldnt get rid of it just yet, Because someone else might use it for meat if its lame, and i sure hate to see chickens put down for simple things. And for a hen who is young her first set of eggs would be like Almost gooey soft eggs, Well in most breeds. I hope all goes well and you can manage to help that one chicken get back to health

 

[CowgirlZooom]

I wonder if it would hurt to try to straighten out the toes with a brace? I dont want to hurt her but maybe wearing a brace for awhile could help. But they are so tightly curled...I am almost afraid to.