Chick with bumblefoot

[Frenchchickens123]

Hi, well since having my chicks hatch I have moved them to a much larger brooder, however I noticed one with curled toes. He/she is only a week old. When I checked it's feet there was poo stuck to the bottom so I removed it bit there are sores on the bottom which are raised and fairly hard. One of it's feet are relatively straight but the other has curled toes. I have brought it back into a smaller brooder inside so I can clean it's feet regularly with a peroxide solution and iodine. The peroxide solution bubbles upon contact with infection, but it didn't buuble when applied to the sores. I have also tied to tape the toes so that they are straight. Now could the sores be bumblefoot and is there anything else I can do? Also with the badly curled toes I cannot straighten them out as they should be but can it be done more gradually ie getting them a bit straighter and leaving it for a bit and then redoing the tape to get them even straighter? Many thanks x

 

[Davidd]

Hello, curled toes are normally an incubation problem- You will not be able to do anything with them if the chick is a week old- you can do more damage than good- they will normally be fine- although no good for showing etc but can lead a normal life. the sores will not be bumble foot- just wounds caused by impacted faeces- they will heal fine if kept on clean bedding.
regards, David

 

[Frenchchickens123]

Hi thanks so much for the quick reply! I'm glad it's not too serious but I wonder if the impacted feaces caused the curled toes as when he hatched and for the first few days after he didn't have this problem it seems to have appeared in the last 3 days or so after I had moved them out of the house into their new brooder. None of the other chicks have this problem either so I am a bit confused as to why it's happened. I do always check for splayed legs and curled toes for the first few days of the chicks life as I know it needs to be treated as soon as possible to correct the problem. I will make sure today that none of the others have poo stuck to the bottom of their feet just in case it has caused the problem. Thanks again it's put my mind at rest and I will make sure this one has it's feet cleaned regularly to help the sores heal.