Rooster with curled toes?

[kkowa]

I have a chick that I hatched out and he is about 3 months old now and I think he has curled toes. when he walks he seems to stomp almost is this curled toes or something else?

 

[Eggcessive]

I can't see your pictures. Are the curled toes something new? Riboflavin or Vitamin B2 deficiency can cause curled toes, as well as some diseases like Mareks. I would put your chickens on poultry vitamins in the water, or at least some B vitamins. PolyVisol baby vitamins 2 drops daily may also help until you get the poultry vitamins.

 

[kkowa]

they seemed to have started when he was about 3 months he had been on electrolytes scene hatching he has also has access to a perch but doesn't use it

 

[kkowa]

 

[Eggcessive]

That kind of curling may have always been there, but it gets worse as they mature. I would call that crooked toes. It is usually genetic, although some will tell you it happens with uneven incubator temps. It should be treated with taping the toes the first week or two of life. I have had no luck treating it after that. The type of curling I referred to as riboflavin deficiency is when the toes are curled into a claw.

 

[BantamLover21]

Looks like he just has some crooked toes, either because of a genetic deformity or hatching problems. If they had just developed, I would have suspected Marek's disease or a vitamin deficiency, but since he's had them for a while and they don't look that bad, he's probably fine. They may or may not get worse as he gets older; don't worry too much about him, as many birds end up with crooked toes and live perfectly normal lives.

 

[pdirt]

If the bones are deformed, they will probably stay that way. However, if even part of the issue is in the joints, you might be able to help him. Try gently massaging each of his toe joints in the affected toes. Start very gently and work toward firmer pressure. Still, you don't need a ton of pressure and the rooster will probably let you know if you do it too hard. You're trying to !slowly! and gently improve range of motion in his toe joints. You can also do a bit of this on his "ankle" joints. Try this on an unaffected chicken to compare the joint feel between the two birds. If he seems to like it or it seems to be helping, keep doing this daily for a week or two and reassess. If he isn't down for even light pressure, the joints may be inflamed. I lean toward the natural end of treatment...I don't know if arnica is safe for chickens but it works well for pain and inflammation for humans. Possibly also try feeding a small amount of cod liver oil, if you have some around the house.

 

[kkowa]

ok thanks ill try that