There are so many things that can happen when hatching chicks. Incubators aren’t the same as a momma hen, and sometimes things happen that we aren’t prepared for. Curled toes in chicks occur from several reasons, like a vitamin deficiency, the wrong humidity levels in the incubator, being stuck in the egg too long or even inbreeding.
Thankfully, it’s usually an easy fix.
Chicks with curled toes are easily spotted once they dry out and fluff up. They won’t be running around like the others. You may see them sitting without moving much, or you may see them hobble around if only one foot has curled toes. If both feet have curled toes, they will balance on their hocks rather than their feet, which can quickly cause abrasions and sores on their fragile hocks. Curled toes should be treated within a few days after hatching if possible.
When you have a chick with curled toes, you’ll need to separate him from the others. This is for several reasons. One, he can’t get around very well because without his toes working correctly, he’s walking around on his hock. He may not be able to reach the food and water or he may get trampled by the others. Another reason to separate him is he will have bandages on his toes and the others will look at them like snacks.
Yes, these tiny, cute, fluffy chicks will become savages and attach the toes and legs of the patient, showing no mercy.
Separate him.
If you are using a brooder with a heat lamp, get smaller wire cage to put the chick in so he can still be social with the others – kind of like a shark cage. If you’re using a heat plate (which is sooo much safer for the chicks and you, with very little fire risk, as opposed to a heat lamp – I got one right after this batch of chicks was hatched), you may have to get another one or use a heat lamp in a separate area for the chick with curled toes.
You can see here I only had a heat lamp at the time. I had a small wire cage that I put inside the larger one, so he could get to the heat, be next to the other chicks, but not get picked on.
What You’ll Need:
- A bandage or medical tape
- Sharp scissors
- A helper to hold the chick
I’d also recommend doing this on the floor. I’m showing the chick on a counter, but they can be extremely wiggly and fast! They could easily get out of your hands and fall off of the counter to the floor.
As your helper holds the chick, legs out front, place the sticky part of the bandage on the underside of the toes, spreading the toes in the correct position.
Fold the bandage over the front of the toes, being careful not to displace the toes, and then press the other end of the bandage on top of the toes, allowing the sticky parts of the bandage to meet between the toes.
You can leave the bandage like this, or you can trim the padded part away from the end of the toes. If you do this, you need to be VERY careful not to snip a toe off! They are tiny.
Leave the bandage in place for 2-3 days and then remove it very carefully. Pulling too hard or too fast can hurt the chick or even break a toe or leg. Run the bandage and foot under warm water to help make the bandage come off easier.
Allow the chick to run around to see how it’s using its toes. If they look mostly normal, yah! If they are still very curled, you may need to use this method for 2-3 more days.
I had a chick who’s toes just wouldn’t correct themselves. He had one good foot and the other was very curled. He tried to walk but would end up just flopping around. He was much smaller than the other chicks, so he was getting run over and picked on.
I tried the bandage for several days and it didn’t work, or he’d get it off. I took things a step further. I cut out a small piece of a very thin cardboard box (like a cereal box), and cut it a little small than his toes were when spread out. I wrapped the cardboard in a piece of medical tape so the sharp edges of the cardboard shoe wouldn’t hurt his skin. I held the shoe under his foot and then repeated the above steps with the bandage.
I put him in his little shark cage for 3 days. He complained and chirped, but he was eating and drinking like normal, so I left the shoe on. On day 3, I removed the shoe and bandage, sat this chick down in his cage and he hit the ground running! He ran back and forth, all around the cage like he was so excited to be able to move without flopping around. He then got the name Forrest Gump, because everywhere he went, he was running.
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