Day Old Chick with wrong feet

Chookster · « **on:** June 24, 2009, 17:44 »

i'm not sure what to do...

the last of my chicks was born with curled up feet. it can't run around like the others, if i gently bend them into the right place it doesn't hurt the chick i don't think. if it could get about it would be fine to feed itself. it won't take water from a pipette though. i was looking at a paper clip wondering if there was a cunning plan to make a 'frame' to keep its feet right - or is it kinder to be cruel and let it go??

in the wild it wouldn't survive

Ourveggiepatch · « **Reply #1 on:** June 24, 2009, 17:49 »

This is soo sad,

The chick will be in pain as its feet grow and in splints so you would have to find a pain killer for it.

If left and you didnt make splints then the chick will have pain in the feet and probably hip problems too.

I would leave it for a few hours - see if they straighten out otherwise it may actually be better to be cruel to be kind - sorry, tough decision but I would be inclined to put it out of its misery if by tomorrow there is no improvement.

Mary

Casey76 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 24, 2009, 17:53 »

You can make a foot splint from a pipe cleaner

http://www.peafowl.org/ARTICLES/1/

or plaster (take alook about half ways down the page)

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKRaisingChicks.html

HTH

Aunt Sally · « **Reply #3 on:** June 24, 2009, 17:57 »

Aggy is good at mending chicks feet perhaps sher may pop in and give her advice

Foxy · « **Reply #4 on:** June 24, 2009, 18:02 »

give it 24 hours time to staighten out, weren't they late to hatch? this might have caused the curled toes. I think its worth making bootees for it. I have used 1" micropore tape on a flat bit of paper sort like snowshoes for one with great success.

Chookster · « **Reply #5 on:** June 24, 2009, 18:02 »

ooh. ok. well the thing is... yesterday early morning the egg had pipped overnight but by 10pm last night there wasn't much change but i could still see its beak sticking out the hole. NOw i know why it couldn't get out and next time i will leave things to nature who knows best. it's been nearly 24 hrs now. And i even put it back in the incubator on its own to try and 'get it' as it were poor thing. it's really like the end of the feet are dead and brittle looking rather than any life in them. i thought if it got poked around by the other chickes bouncing all over each other and doing stuff together it might have an incentive to join in. instead it gets propped up or just falls about. not finding its food, not accepting water through the pippette. oh i'm stuck. i feel it's better to be kind and i know i'm going to have more of this in the future doingwhat i'm doing so what's the best way to be kind if you konw what i mean guys?

too many girls · « **Reply #6 on:** June 24, 2009, 18:10 »

Quote from: Chookster on June 24, 2009, 18:02

ooh. ok. well the thing is... yesterday early morning the egg had pipped overnight but by 10pm last night there wasn't much change but i could still see its beak sticking out the hole. NOw i know why it couldn't get out and next time i will leave things to nature who knows best. it's been nearly 24 hrs now. And i even put it back in the incubator on its own to try and 'get it' as it were poor thing. it's really like the end of the feet are dead and brittle looking rather than any life in them. i thought if it got poked around by the other chickes bouncing all over each other and doing stuff together it might have an incentive to join in. instead it gets propped up or just falls about. not finding its food, not accepting water through the pippette. oh i'm stuck. i feel it's better to be kind and i know i'm going to have more of this in the future doingwhat i'm doing so what's the best way to be kind if you konw what i mean guys?

i have 2 cockerals with deformed feet, they get on suprisingly well.

agapanthus · « **Reply #7 on:** June 25, 2009, 07:31 »

We've had great succes with 'splinting' legs. With chicks we usually use a length of wool using a figure of 8 loop. You need to have it fairly taut but not tight. With the turkey babies (this was quite difficult) we used a block of make-up sponge with 2 fairly large holes in it, popped their legs into it and propped them up as well as we could. The turkeys were particularly bad...literally dragging both legs behind them in a strange shuffling movement. We had 2 like this. After just a few hours in their contraptions they were a lot stronger and by the next day running around like maniacs!!!!! Hope this helps.

SMD66 · « **Reply #8 on:** June 25, 2009, 07:44 »

we had a couple of quail hatched with curled up feet, but they were just about able to move about and they got better by themselves. I think the not eating and drinking is more of a problem though, poor thing.

treacle · « **Reply #9 on:** June 25, 2009, 08:26 »

My Rhode island red "Curly" has deformed feet, the man i got her from said the incubator had fused out and his whole batch had deformed feet ,she was the last one, i guess i felt sorry for her and brought her home, she is now my favorite hen she is so fat you can't see her legs, her middle toes instead of pointing forward are curled and on the side, she is happy and healthy otherwise,When she jumps off the low wall i have ,she rolls forward ....aaah she's so funny. Hope your chick will be o.k

Don't give up on her too soon x

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Day Old Chick with wrong feet

Chookster

Day Old Chick with wrong feet

Ourveggiepatch

Re: Day Old Chick with wrong feet

Casey76

Re: Day Old Chick with wrong feet

Aunt Sally

Re: Day Old Chick with wrong feet

Foxy

Re: Day Old Chick with wrong feet

Chookster

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too many girls

Re: Day Old Chick with wrong feet

agapanthus

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SMD66

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treacle

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