Rooster with curled toes..(pics)

[carolina chicky]

I posted earlier about my 28 week old Ameracauna rooster who I noticed has his toes curled at a 90 degree angle. I thought they were broken but I looked at them a few minutes ago and they appear to be swollen right where they join the foot and are turned. It's mainly his middle toe, but his first toe appears to be turned a little as well. He is walking okay, occasionally hops, eats fine and his poop is normal. I have no idea what to do, I was going to splint them but I am not sure if it's possible. I am feeding them layer crumble. What should I do?
Here is a pic...

 

[Emzyyy]

Have you always had him or did you just get him? Do you know if he was housed on wire? I think having a wire floor in a coop causes this? but I'm not sure.

 

[threehorses]

Can you possibly send the photos of him standing on the toes?

I suspect he has the genetic bend of the toe that will often show itself later on in a bird's growing, like at the age he is now. It's likely that this turning of his toe (and his coming now into mature weight) is causing a little strain, a little arthritis, in the toe joint causing the swelling. There could also be a little extra calcium depositing there (at the stressed joint) because of the higher levels of calcium in the layer feed, but this is less likely.

Your concern, if I'm correct, is that it might be the nutritional deficiency that causes something like this. I doubt it since he's been on a fortified feed. Usually these sorts of issues occur younger and more strongly in younger birds. But a picture of him with the weight on his feet would certainly help.

 

[carolina chicky]

Yes, I had read something about nutritional deficiency, so i was worried.
He stands and walks okay but his middle toes are always turned inward like this (well they have been for the past day or so).
I will have to get a pic tomorrow since it's dark already.
I seperated him for a while to make sure he won't get hurt or anything.

 

[carolina chicky]

I have had him since he was 8 weeks old.

 

[WalkingWolf]

I would start probiotics immediately, have you had a lot of rain? Has he eaten any mushrooms? I have a rooster who is recovering from paralysis from eating the angel of death mushroom. I did not understand what the mushroom was until I looked it up yesterday. Also inhaled fungus can cause the problems your rooster is having. The fungi enters the lungs and makes it to the brain causing paralysis. In all reality my rooster should have died and he is recovering slowly, he has had to relearn how to walk and eat just like a infant. The only reason I think he survived was I put a benadryl in a quart of his drinking water because I was unsure what had happened to him. I had to help him with eating and drinking for the first week. I would lean towards the fungi infection though as your bird is not completely paralyzed.

 

[carolina chicky]

We haven't has much rain and I don't see any mushrooms or anything nearby. He doesn't really seem to even notice his toes being this way.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
I think he's saying that the bird walks completely normally - it's just that in the last 2 days the toes have become misaligned, which is very very common. I've had birds that did the same. I never bred them for show afterwards, but they were fine as pet-breeders, etc.

On the mushrooms by the way, flushing and using activated charcoal really is what helps paralysis - removing the toxins. For your bird, since he had experienced fungus poisoning, I'd make sure twice a week to give him an oil vitamin for a couple of weeks. Fungus do something that causes the oil vitamins (A, D, E) to become deficient - it's a complicated process, but that's the result. So just in case he's still slightly deficient and not showing it, that's what you'll want to do. Fortified wheat germ oil sprayed on the feed lightly twice a week, or using just basic chicken water vitamins for a week will help tremendously for the things you cannot see.

I'm glad he's doing better for you.

 

[carolina chicky]

So this is probably caused by a fungus poisining? I read somewhere to use Poly Vi Sol without Iron for a week? Is that right or is there something else?

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
It's not likely caused by a fungal poisoning, no. It's likely genetic, second likely is vitamin deficiency but not as likely as genetic.