Twisted Toes

[MrCool101]

This is my day old Cream Legbar chick. She was first to pip, but last to actually hatch.
I'm kind of concerned about the way her toes have formed, and I'm hoping that they will fix themselves.

Is there anything I should be doing about them?

 

[madi99]

try to make a splint for her toes using a small piece of cardboard and a bandaid. cut the cardboard into a small square, place her toes how you would like them to be set over the cardboard, and then seal them down with a bandaid or other types of medical tape. she seems young enough that this should correct the problem... Good luck!

 

[LaynaDon95]

You can try to tape them. Is it her legs or just her toes? If it's just her toes then It should be relatively easy. I've had a couple chicks hatch with crooked toes. I use medical tape. I cute a strip of tape, lay their foot out on the tape in the shape that they would be normally, and tape over them so that they stay that way. I've had to do it with 4 (I think) chicks and it's been successful all but 1 time. That chick also had slipped tendons, and he couldn't even hold himself up. I had to dropper feed him until I decided he wasn't going to make it had to cull him.

After you tape, they should be able to walk around with the rape on their feet. If not, there may be something wrong with their legs or you may need to retape them.

 

[MrCool101]

Thank you both for the advice, I will give that a try.

It is only her toes that are twisted, and they are only like that on one foot. She gets around fine, I just fear it will become a problem for her later in life.

 

[LaynaDon95]

You would be surprised at how well chickens adapt to deformities like this. If it doesn't heal properly, she'll probably grow up just fine. You wouldn't want to use her for showing or breeding, of course, but she should be fine to make you plenty of eggs.

I have tried many splints made out of many different things. None of them have worked well for me except the plain medical tape. (Meaning no other support.) Other people swear by cardboard, pipe cleaners, dimes, etc. but they have never worked for me. I'm not saying you shouldn't try it, just don't be discouraged if it doesn't work. You can use tons of different things to make splints. Just play around 'til you find what works for you and for her. Also, if you splint/tape one foot, make sure you do the other as well, even if it doesn't need it. Having one foot heavier than the other will put her off balance and make it hard for her to get around.
You may want to give her some electrolytes/vitamins. (like Sav-a-Chick) These kinds of deformities can be caused by a vitamin deficiency, so extra vitamins may also help mend her.

Good luck with your baby and keep us posted!

 

[MrCool101]

I'm pleased to say that after only two days of wearing cardboard shoes, her toes are already looking pretty normal. They're not perfect, but I'm not too worried about her anymore.

Thank you for all of the helpful advice



Unfortunatley, another one of my hatchlings has a slipped tendon, and I've read that once that happens, there isn't a lot you can do for them. But I'm willing to do whatever I can.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Great job!

You may want to get an accurate thermometer for incubating. Curled toes are usually from incubating at too low of a temperature. I have a Brinsea Spot Check thermometer and it's accurate to .1 degree.

 

[madi99]

congratulations! you did a great job!! her toes look so much better

 

[LaynaDon95]

She looks great! Good job.

 

[MrCool101]

Just thought I'd give an update on how Bumble is doing. She's about 15 weeks old now.



Sadly as you can see, her toes did not stay corrected for long. I think they went back to the way they were within a couple of weeks. Her toes were not the only things that were crooked, her neck is also bent. However, despite her deformities, she's doing great, and seems to have adapted well to them. She surprisingly does not get picked on either.



The problem with her neck didn't really show that much when she was a chick, but it became more evident as she got older. I've learned that these are common side effects of hatching out of the wrong side of the egg, and that's exactly what happened (though I thought nothing of it at the time).