When is the right time to intervene with curled feet?

[gummylick]

I had one quail that hatched yesterday about 4pm, a couple hours after I removed a batch that had been in over a day. I left it in, alone, overnight to dry out. It laid out flat on chest entire hatch and til next day when I decided it'd be better with the group. I removed the shell (small piece was stuck to its rear feathers) and put it in with the rest of the crew in brooder and its getting along great, finally sat up and started moving, following the others, but it's a sort of side to side walk different from the others. Its toes have curled and it's been past 24 hrs. When do I consider stepping in? If I do, is this where you put little bandaid shoes on them to flat it out?

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

Yes loose bandaid shoes should work! Most people say you should intervene as soon as you recognize curling in a chick. The curled toes is caused by a lack of vitamin B2 in the mother when she laid the egg.

 

[Nabiki]

I normally only give them about 12 hours to straighten out on their own. The longer you wait, the less likely that you will be able to treat the curled toes. Tape shoes should fix these based on your picture. The toes don't look like they're beyond treatment.

 

[gummylick]

She's pretty pissed about the flip flops, but hopefully it works.

 

[Nabiki]

you should see results in less than 24 hours.

 

[gummylick]

Woke up this morning and it'd already removed one sandal. I removed the other one and it's looking much better! It still over stretches a leg outward when walking sometimes but figure it's getting used to its flat feet and getting some strength.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Nabiki]

Those toes look much better!

 

[thecatumbrella]

I don't know about quail, but my Silkie took 3 days with fresh flippers each day. You could absolutely see the progress happening over time. It feels good to be able to make a difference for them!

I keep loving your posts because that baby is adorable.