Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Stanley]

I picked up some 3 week old quail chicks a few days ago & have noticed that 2 have had this. One I removed the mud/poo from the toe which although 'crushed' looking is pink & healthy so I think it will recover.

 

The other has a black shrivelled toe & nail which definitely looks dead. It's about half the toe, the top half is pink & healthy looking but much fatter than the other toes.

 

I appreciate that the dead bit will drop off, but how do I ensure it doesn't spread and cause and infection? I've been spraying with purple spray, but that will only treat an external wound surely, not anything going on under the skin.

 

I understand toe balling is common in quail chicks, so has anyone else dealt with this?

 

Silly me for not checking the feet properly when I bought them.

[Beantree]

Might be the toe has broken and the swelling cut off the circulation Stanley? We get poo balls stuck to the feet of our chicken chicks when under a lamp because it dries on very quickly. We check them daily and soak it off as appropriate. Their skin is porous, so stuff applied outside will go through. The swelling may be an indication of infection, or just irritation. Guess you will need to be prepared for a vet trip if for a moment it gets worse.

[Stanley]

Thank you.

 

I hope it works. The chick seems otherwise happy & alert.