Rooster with curled toes..(pics)

[KellyandKatie]

that is what my plout's toe looks like, is it likely to get worse, or heal up? what do you think? I just got him- so I have not even seen much behavior

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
Yep, and usually just stays as is and doesn't really affect anything.

 

[avalon23]

When I was growing up I had a rooster that had this exact same thing. I worked with him daily like physical therapy and he got better and was normal after that. I still look back in amazement that I was about to help him. How is your roo doing?

 

[carolina chicky]

His toes still look the same but he seems great otherwise. I am g iving him some vitamin drops to try and help out but the curled toes isn't affecting his walking or anything.

 

[Mahonri]

The toes aren't going to go back to normal.

I was told it happens because of too high or too low incubation temps.

I had a black Ameraucana roo (with all toes on one foot curled) and I have a Salmon Faverolle pullet that has one toe on one side that is curled.

Early on as chicks I tried the cardboard thing. It didn't work. Also, they seemed fine for the first two to three days after hatching, then the toes curled, and NOTHING would change it. Not vitamins, not taping to cardboard... The salmon Fav had cardboard on for two weeks. As soon as we took it off, the toe curled.

 

[threehorses]

I think people are getting "curled toes" and "crooked toes" confused.

Curled toes are where the toes will curl under if the bird is putting weight on his feet. Crooked toes are where they can bear weight but the toes bend at a joint to one side or another.

Usually curled toes are caused by a vitamin deficiency (generally B) versus a flaccid paralysis. The birds often 'knuckle under' on both feet, and then sit on their hocks because of their feet. With "crooked toes" they don't.

Crooked toes can be caused by improper incubation, but ONLY if it occurs shortly after hatch. If it's more than 2 weeks, it's genetics or something else.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
In your case, if the toes were curling under, that was vitamin B deficiency which (if very young) was probably due to the breeders being fed laying feed instead of breeder/laying feed (which most stores won't carry unless you ask them to order it for you). Most poultry feed manufacturers don't make a chicken layer/breeder. You either have to supplement your breeders on your own, or use gamebird (not gamecock) layer/breeder. That's the actual name. The condition won't be helped by orthopedics because it wasn't an orthopedic/structural problem; it was a nutritional one.

I use gamebird layer/breeder now for my birds that are laying and will be breeders. Previously I used a high protein layer and supplemented with a broad spectrum vitamin daily (and used only oil based vitamins for the oil vitamins - not water vitamins).

 

[CynthiaM]

I made the following post yesterday morning, but didn't get any answers (probably because I was basically duplicating this post), so I have copied the body of that post into here and will delete the body of my post of yesterday AM.


"I have a Buff Orpington rooster, age of 6 months. About two weeks ago I noticed that he was hobbling around, I thought his toes were broken. Prior to that he was just fine. He can walk a little on the foot, but hobbles dreadfully, and when he stands, stands on one leg.

The centre toe and the one beside it are curled downwards, not sideways at the knuckle. I thought he may have broken them whilst among the brush area of the chickenyard. I have done nothing to it, yet, wondering if I should.

This morning I thought I would examine his two toes. They are stiff, and I had a really hard time to straighten them out, the second toe, I could not straighten totally. These toes are not curling to the side, but are curled under when he stands. I will get a good picture later on when the sun rises enough.

He has free range, amongst the other chickens, they are fed fortified food, the normal, 16% laying pellets, so I don't think a vitamin deficiency. He feeds well and drinks well. (addendum, now I think that I will be getting a higher protein because my birds will be used for breeding, obviously 16% laying pellets is not enough for ones intended for breeding)

I have perused other posts, and I get an impression curled toe thing can be genetic, but at the same time get the impression this is pertaining to toes that are crooked sideways or curled under in young chicks.

What is this? I have a replacement rooster if there is no "cure" or help I can do for this dude. The replacement rooster is Buff Orpington as well, is four months old, and just began to crow yesterday (might I add a rather sickly sounding crow, smiling). Wondering if this is an actual condition, can it be fixed. I don't want to spend time to work on a critter that will not have a positive outcome. CynthiaM."

I have been reading and following this thread. My buff came from hatchery chicks, from the states -- I am now wondering if the parents were not fed a proper diet with enough protein. But wouldn't you think that a hatchery that sells massive amounts of chicks would properly feed the breeder parents, I would think so anyways. This was an extremely popular and larger hatchery that hundreds of people use. That is my impression of why a bird may have crooked toes. The toes are clearly CURLED. When he stands those first two toe joints are curled under on the one foot. This has only happened recently.

I need an answer here. He appears to be worsening, and I can't keep a rooster that will not be working premium in the chickenyard. I will be using him for breeding along with several other breeds. My agenda definitely will be to raise quality chicks, so I will be engaging in properly feeding the breeding birds.

 

[threehorses]

Well two things, Cynthia ... first, I thought it might help as a sort of off-topic matter to let you know that not only protein but nutrients levels for breeding birds are different. I found this out the hard way with a batch of babies that I was hatching from some lines that I think had just had a lot of line breeding done to them. They required way more nutrients in their feed (despite high protein levels) than a layer feed would give. Oddly, poultry feed is rarely made in a layer/breeder but gamebird feed is. For that reason, when I breed (actually even now when I'm not yet breeding) I use gamebird layer/breeder with a 20% protein and heightened nutrition - more vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, etc. I learned that the hard way by using layer and having to supplement, going from 0 fertility to (months later) finally being able to have chicks that hatched, lived, and grew to 4 months of age. When I used regular laying pellets, higher protein (18%) I used a combinatio of wheat germ oil (fortified) and RedCell or clovite a few times a week or daily as well as kelp. So you might think about your options to that end when it comes to breeders. My other line, that bred and hatched well, never had problems but of course who wants to lose any eggs at all? My birds were dying out at day 14 (once I got them fertile) because of lack of nutrition til I upped their breeding diet.

OK on the little rooster. First was he vaccinated for Marek's? Usually Marek's is 'flaccid' paralysis, floppy and without stiffness. I'd think again that vitamin B deficiency needs to be ruled out and the only way to do that without bloodwork is supplementation. Again a good multivitamin for babies (without iron, in the states that is Enfamil's polyvisol) or specifically for poultry, and then additionally a B-complex vitamin (a whole one for his size) crushed into something he'll eat quickly - a wet treat - daily. Because he's a bit older, I would also use vitamin E oil capsules (between 400 and 700 IU capsule) and slit the end and give him one daily for a week. Then reevaluate. If you're able to get the same baby vitamin, use 3 drops in the beak daily for a week then reevaluate with us. Otherwise a standard broad-spectum poultry vitamin/mineral for in the water.

IN the mean time, no other issues? No changes in the shape of his pupils? Or greyness on them or vision issues? No drooping wing, etc?

 

[carolina chicky]

My rooster has crooked toes, not curled toes. So the vitamins probably won't help this then will they? It was weird because one day his toes were perfectly normal and the very next day, they were crooked. I thought he had broken them but they just seem to have grown like that or something. Maybe I didn't notice them before or something??