# swollen feet



## colingm

Hi fellow chookers I am hoping someone can give me some advice.
We have 20 or so two week old chicks. Two started to have problems with sticky eyes, we isolated them and started to take care of the eyes it was then we noticed the following:
1) Their ankles and feet seemed a bit swollen 
2) They always walked backwards 
3) They developed dark spots on their toes like frost bite but it is summer. Since then that has gotten worse.
4) They don't seem to be able to perch and have poor balance.

The rest of the wee ens seem to be doing just fine. Any advice will be appreciated 
Thanks

Another observation is that their toes ate turned up


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## colingm

colingm said:


> hi fellow chookers i am hoping someone can give me some advice.
> We have 20 or so two week old chicks. Two started to have problems with sticky eyes, we isolated them and started to take care of the eyes it was then we noticed the following:
> 1) their ankles and feet seemed a bit swollen
> 2) they always walked backwards
> 3) they developed dark spots on their toes like frost bite but it is summer. Since then that has gotten worse.
> 4) they don't seem to be able to perch and have poor balance.
> 
> We have added to their nutrition by adding cod liver oil and cider vinegar.
> 
> The rest of the wee ens seem to be doing just fine. Any advice will be appreciated
> thanks
> 
> another observation is that their toes ate turned up


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## toybarons

Not sure about the dark toes??? The other symptoms sound like Mereks.


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## colingm

Thanks I have looked it up and they do not seem to have the right symptoms here is a good shot of bad feet and good feet from the same batch of chicks.








Other than the feet they look ok here is the one with the odd feet, and other stuff


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## kahiltna_flock

That us strange! I am sorry, I can't help you out, but I sure will be waiting to see what the experts say. Good luck.


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## fuzziebutt

The only thing that I have been able to find that would effect more than one chick in a hatch is either scaly leg mites, and the fix for that is to rub the legs and feet with vaseline or mineral oil and suffocate the leg mites, or Curled Toe Paralysis. Curly Toe Paralysis is when the toes are curled and the chick walks on the tops of his curled toes, rather than the sides of the toes as with crooked toes. I realise that the chicks are walking on the bottom of the toes, but this is all I can find. They are walking backwards some, and that is probably because it doesn't hurt as much as trying to bend their feet to walk forward. That could also cause the balance issues. It is painful for the chicks and they will normally die after a few weeks. Incorrect diet of breeding stock or out of date chick crumbs containing insufficient Riboflavin are the most common causes.


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## fuzziebutt

The more I google this, the more I believe that it is scaly leg mites. Smother the mites with GOBS of vaseline rubbed into the scales on the legs and feet every day or two until they look better. But it still wouldn't hurt to add the vitamins to the water.


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## colingm

Thanks I will check both of your suggestions lucky for me all the rest are doing just fine. The leg mite cure I will do as a matter of course. Thanks again.


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## patlet

Could this be congenital defect? Are your peedeapeeps from different parents?


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## colingm

We are not sure of their lineage the come from a free roaming farm. But they did not make it they both died today.


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## sorrowsmiles

colingm said:


> Hi fellow chookers I am hoping someone can give me some advice.
> We have 20 or so two week old chicks. Two started to have problems with sticky eyes, we isolated them and started to take care of the eyes it was then we noticed the following:
> 1) Their ankles and feet seemed a bit swollen
> 2) They always walked backwards
> 3) They developed dark spots on their toes like frost bite but it is summer. Since then that has gotten worse.
> 4) They don't seem to be able to perch and have poor balance.
> 
> The rest of the wee ens seem to be doing just fine. Any advice will be appreciated
> Thanks
> 
> Another observation is that their toes ate turned up


Aw the poor things! Please post whether or not the Vaseline works!


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## kahiltna_flock

So sorry for your loss.


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## michelle621

I'm sorry you lost them.  Toes curling in can be a calcium deficiency. I've never seen curling out.


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## choudashell

if your baby chicks are on newspaper shavings or not able to get out of the poop and urine this could be what is happening it burns there feet. I had chicks contained to keep them safe and had a very similar reaction.


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## Lonnie

"Mineral deficiencies show up in poultry as feet and leg problems. If your birds are showing signs of curly toe and/or spraddle leg, they may have riboflavin or manganese deficiencies in their feed source. A vitamin/mineral supplementation to the water source will help to prevent these problems from occurring" I knew I had seen this in my tenure with Foster farms in California. Got this from a PDF From Cornell University on raising Pastured Poultry.


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## fuzziebutt

That is one of the things that is hard about this, curly toe curls under, not over. Just unusual, and still watching to see what anyone has to say about it. choudashell is making alot of sense, about maybe the feet swelling on the bottom, and curling up. So sorry about the loss of the chicks.


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## colingm

There is no sign that it has spread at all. The rest of them are doing just fine. It is funny watching them sorting out the pecking order even at this young age.


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