HELP! Chick has bent toes

[pathwayholding]

Baby chicks are two weeks old now. I noticed yesterday that Peppe has a bent toe on each foot. I'm not sure if they have been that way all along or if it just happened over the course of time.

I've seen that people make little boot/braces out of cardboard and tape. Others make a splint out of plastic or wood taped to the offending toe. Someone else mentioned using superglue to attach a splint that would fall off on its own in a week or so.

It's also been mentioned that it can be a vitamin deficiency. Shouldn't the starter food have all the vitamins they need in it? Although, she is much less developed in comparison to the other gals...

Anybody have experience with this?

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[QueenoftheFlock]

Is the chick getting around okay? Are the other ones picking on it or leaving it alone? Are they on a "chick starter" as opposed to a laying hen mix?

You are correct that a chick starter feed should be balanced and provide the nutrients the babies need.

I don't think I'd mess with any kind of brace or splint. I've had 2 chickens with completely broken legs that have ended up healing fine with rest and keeping them separate from the others. One leg was so bad I thought for sure she needed to go into the stew pot - but she managed to heal and is still around to this day. This is after someone told me that "legs don't heal" so you just never know. Chickens can be tough.

[pathwayholding]

She's not getting picked on and gets around fine. It's just the outside toe on each foot that is bent.

I'm still in debate mode over whether I should try to splint it or not...I'd hate to start a picking fest.

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[walls0stone]

critters like that can supprise you. Had a bull we called Squirt, runty little thing.. eventualy outgrew the others and we had him for breeding. Had a 3 legged cat...little bugger was fast and even with only one paw, could catch mice.

[bookwormom]

I would leave it alone.

[annabella1]

Is the nail overgrown and curling back on the toe? That would be the only thing I would worry about. If it is, a little snip should take care of it, just be sure to avoid the vein in the middle of the nail. Any other foot problems are probably too late to do anything about and if the chick is getting along okay nothing to worry about. some chicks get deformed feet if the area they stand on during the first couple of days is too smooth the muscles don't form right, they need a surface that has bumps and lumps so they can form the clutching and perching kind of motion the muscles make. If that's what caused the bent toes, then you can't do anything about it now.Next time you have baby chicks put them on waded up paper towels or a wire surface,so the feet will form right.

[pathwayholding]

The "pinkie" toes are bent at the joint.

I had them on paper towels for two weeks. I didn't know you had to have it wadded up! I had it laid flat.

I can't figure out why she's the only one it happened to. She is my tinest bird and seems to be developing at a slower rate than the others.

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[annabella1]

It may be a heredity problem then, and could be an indicator of other problems. I wouldn't worry too much, but I also wouldn't use her as a breeder.

[Suzy]

One of my Y2K chickens (one of my Easter egg hens) had crooked feet....since these were my very first chickens, I just left her alone because she got around fine and none of the other 30 chickens bothered her...

Her feet were so crooked you would wonder how she even walked, but she could not only walk, she RAN!

She lived until about five months ago!!!! She was a happy, free-range chicken and I think lived a happy chicken life...even though when she died I had about 240 chickens, she was still special! I miss her even today. And she laid the prettiest big blue eggs!