Silkie thread!

[Country Chickens]

My preferred method for taping toes, after trying bandaids and cardboard, is pipecleaners. For this you measure a small piece of pipecleaner (I use scraps from my daughters art projects) against the toes and bend it at the appropriate place. If I'm trying to uncurl a foot, like your little guy, I will make a bend in the middle of my piece of pipecleaner, so it's bent directly back on itself. That long prong goes on the longest toe. Then bend each half the pipecleaner back again and trim to the right length so you have a small outline of a chick's foot, with one long piece and two smaller ones. To tape it on I like masking tape that's cut down the center so it's thinner. I wind it around the pipecleaner so each toe is individually bound to its bit of pipecleaner. Here's a pic of a Marans chick with one half of this shoe on. He only needed half, as it was actually his big toe that was curling.



I have had very good luck with this--in fact, I'm pretty sure we've had one hundred percent success at uncurling toes this way. The shoes are harder for the chicks to get off, and the pipecleaner's natural spring help them to walk normally while holding the toes in place. Best of luck, whatever you try! Beautiful babies!!!

 

[Sanna]

Yes, a difference.
My last fair, I could enter mutts, and they still got ribbons...
It just takes time, as there really isn't alot around us.
How close are you to West Springfield, MA?
There is a fantastic show at the Big E, but that is in January.
It's a biggun, there were I think around 2,600(?) birds there this year.
I went with 7, and came home with 22.
At the end of the month, I am going to Harrington, DE., just past Dover Downs.
After a while, it will grab your heart, and you will have to travel to them all!

Big E is probably an hour away from me, maybe less. I go there often to show horses, so I'd definitely drive there for birds!

I'll have to see if I can find any other shows somewhat close to home. If anyone has any knowledge of such things, please let me know!?

 

[Grumpypantsmomma]

Blue to blue breeding should produce some splash. That is not incorrect. Here is a photo of a chick I taped. Cloth bandaids work well. I put tape on top and bottom. Leave several days. Unfortunately my chick faded and only lived about a week but others do survive.


The top tape did not stay on after a few days but it still worked. You should get a refund on that chick.

I sen them an email about the chick's curled foot, they said the would gladly refund if I did not receive any extra chicks in my order to make up for it. they sent me 4 Extra chicks. Now the chicks weren't silkies, but of the other breeds that came in that order! Don't think it really maters though!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Curled toes are more likely to be an incubation or nutritional issue than a genetic one.

 

[stoopid]

Big E is probably an hour away from me, maybe less. I go there often to show horses, so I'd definitely drive there for birds!

I'll have to see if I can find any other shows somewhat close to home. If anyone has any knowledge of such things, please let me know!?

Let me know if you find anything closer, it's hard to find around here!

 

[Sanna]

Let me know if you find anything closer, it's hard to find around here!

Are there any other shows at the same location that you know of or just the one in january?

 

[Hawkeye95]

Curled toes are more likely to be an incubation or nutritional issue than a genetic one.

Good to know!


So it sounds like a lot of you all hit the shows. Our first one (for 4-H) is 3.5 hours away from us. It's on a Saturday morning, and the doors open at 7am and they said our birds must be in cages and ready by 9am. So.. I already figured up there is NO way we can drive up that same morning-- we'd have to leave at 3am. The kids would HATE that. Fortunately, my brother lives like 40 mins away from the final destination. So we got a hotel near his house and we're going to leave our birds in his garage overnight (drive up Friday, drop off birds, and then pick up our birds at his house Saturday morning and go to to the show). For shows that are far away like that-- what do you all do with birds on an over night trip?? I seriously had considered bringing them into the hotel room... but figured that was a bad idea. LOL I'm just really glad my brother lives near where we are going or we'd really be in a predicament.

 

[stoopid]

As long as the weather is OK, just leave them in the cages in the car.
They are in cages, right?
OK, I admit, some of mine ride with me on the seat...

 

[Hawkeye95]

As long as the weather is OK, just leave them in the cages in the car.
They are in cages, right?
OK, I admit, some of mine ride with me on the seat...

Yeah, I'm bringing a collapsible wire dog kennel. However, the last time I took my cockerel somewhere, he just sat on my lap with a towel. He likes to look out the window.

 

[stoopid]