Curled toes, Splayed legs

[bloodbiter]

Hi! I'm new to BYC and I am also new to quail. I put 23 eggs in the incubator after doing due research, and right now have 13 hatched. 9 hatched first, and then 4 hatched later. while i was taking the first 9 out, I panicked, and fiddled with the humidity.

Now there's 4 quail chicks with curled toes. I tried to fix them using splints, but it's causing their legs to splay. I'm not quite sure what to do now; any help would be appreciated. I read that there might be something to feed the quail chicks, like vitamins or parsley, but I cannot find where I read that. Is that true?

 

[Nabiki]

Have you tried shoes? I use thin card stock and tape, but there are people who use just tape.

 

[CountrifiedCoturnix]

All I know is my dad hatched a chicken that has splayed leg, and the poor thing still has it. The splint hasn’t worked either, and I’m seriously interested in learning what to do. I hope your babies get better!

 

[bloodbiter]

Have you tried shoes? I use thin card stock and tape, but there are people who use just tape.
View attachment 3014239

no! but i definately will now. thanks!

 

[FloorCandy]

Do you have pics of the curled toes? Mildly curled toes often correct themselves in a day or so if they are on a good rough floor like shelf liner.

 

[bloodbiter]

Do you have pics of the curled toes? Mildly curled toes often correct themselves in a day or so if they are on a good rough floor like shelf liner.

i used @Nabiki 's suggestion and put them in shoes. the next day they had gotten their shoes off, but their toes were corrected! except for one, but the toe doesnt curl under the foot and doesnt seem to hinder the chick's movements at all.

 

[little-beep]

hiya... I have a wee button quail who is 3 weeks old but looks like it's only ONE week old (stunted growth) and it hatched with curled toes. It was toooooooo hard to put any type of shoe on it's foot while it was tiny but 2 days ago I used medical tape to get one on .... Gonna wait a few more days to see what metamorphosis may have taken place! ...

<--- I did manage to fold the 'shoe' under so it wasn't so huge and this chick is walking better with it than with the curled under toes

Oh... and I had another chick with a crazy gimpy leg that was all turned IN which corrected itself after I fed it for 3 days with NUTRITIONAL YEAST FLAKES full of all kinds of B vitamins.... This link below:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71ZCsvyGyaL._AC_SY679_.jpg

 

[Canina]

hiya... I have a wee button quail who is 3 weeks old but looks like it's only ONE week old (stunted growth) and it hatched with curled toes. It was toooooooo hard to put any type of shoe on it's foot while it was tiny but 2 days ago I used medical tape to get one on .... Gonna wait a few more days to see what metamorphosis may have taken place! ...
View attachment 3018906 <--- I did manage to fold the 'shoe' under so it wasn't so huge and this chick is walking better with it than with the curled under toes

Oh... and I had another chick with a crazy gimpy leg that was all turned IN which corrected itself after I fed it for 3 days with NUTRITIONAL YEAST FLAKES full of all kinds of B vitamins.... This link below:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71ZCsvyGyaL._AC_SY679_.jpg

Oh Lord, so tiny still! This one will get extra spoiling and babying.

I’ve never experienced curled toes or splayed legs before thankfully but I give them Johnson’s poultry tonic and they grow fast.

 

[CloneFly]

Any tips on correcting the splay leg? I just hatched a batch today and the poor baby has BOTH splay leg and curled toes...

 

[Nabiki]

Any tips on correcting the splay leg? I just hatched a batch today and the poor baby has BOTH splay leg and curled toes...

You could try the cup method. Put the chick in a cup small enough that it has to keep it's legs under it. Give it breaks to eat and drink, but keep it in the cup as much as you can.

This doesn't always work. If it has splay legs and curled toes, you may have to cull the poor thing. Good luck!