How to Cure Curled Toe Paralysis in Poultry & A Study of Riboflavin Deficiency in Quail

In my previous article on this subject, I looked at the identification of vitamin B2 deficiency, which not only mimics some fataldiseases but which, ironically can be just as dangerous to the bird but conversely very easily cured. In this post I am going to look at what to do to effect a cure. If you have just landed on this article and are not sure if this is a problem in your flock, you might want to go back to my identification article and read through it first. The link is here: Riboflavin deficiency identification

For my 'field study', I am using the example of quail chicks, from non-organic purchased hatching eggs because this is the area in which, sadly I have a great deal of experience with deficiencies of all kinds but in particular, the B complex vitamins.  I have however treated riboflavin deficiencies in hen chicks for neighbours and friends and the treatment and outcome are the same. However, in the delivery of the treatment with very small quail chicks, who are precocial, thus a great deal more independent than hen chicks, it is often useful to resort to subterfuge! Quail chicks are also obviously much smaller and thus any sort of treatment at this stage of development is a lot trickier, however as you will see, there are solutions.

Preparing to treat

The other thing to note with quail chicks (and with baby pigeons too), is that they are very susceptible to cold, particularly if they have been immobile, away from the parent and thus losing body heat. It is most important to get the chick ready for treatment by firstly getting its body temperature up, otherwise its system will have begun to 'close down' and the chick will have become less responsive and thus more difficult to treat. In a cold state you risk the problem of the chick not understanding what is expected of it, when presenting it with food and/or physically being unable to swallow and thus choking. So even if you are dealing with a hen chick, make sure the bird is 'up to temperature' and also that when and where you treat, the ambient temperature is sufficient. On a further note, do not over-heat the chick or this will make it sleepy and you will have similar problems! With a hen chick, who is with a mother hen and thus bonded to her, you should make sure that the chick is not stressed by being removed. If it is exhibiting symptoms of anxiety, then get a hay-lined cardboard box or similar receptacle and bring the hen and whole family in together to be there at the treatment. That way your chick will be aware of the Mother and she of it and you have a greater chance of effecting a complete cure. If this is too much to accomplish, then bring in at least one other sibling, to give some sense of comfort. At times of high anxiety, the body draws heavily on essential nutrients and as the B vitamins are some of the foremost requirements for the functioning of the nervous system, it is self-defeating to be administering vitamins which will immediately be lost to stress.

Above all, if possible, treat in the morning when the bird is hungry!

The Treatment - Nutritherapy

It is of tantamount importance to get B2 riboflavin into the bird's body as quickly and easily as possible and for this reason I am looking at foods that are both high in the vitamin and highly palatable to the bird.

A foreword about yeast flakes

Several people have asked me what I mean by yeast flakes as there is some confusion over a product called something along the lines of; 'fortified yeast flakes'. This is sold as a health supplement for vegans and is often, though not always, fortified with a synthetic cheap form of the B12 vitamin known as cyanocobalamin. Personally I would not under any circumstances be feeding this to a bird. You can tell from the prefix what this cobalamin contains but apart from that, any synthetic vitamin needs to be converted by the body to the natural form, to my mind this is not only pointless but also puts additional strain on a weakened chick. Furthermore, the bird's system can not convert synthetics in totality. Thus the bird will be left with chemical residues, which may be impossible to detox or cause an additional load to the bird's system to remove. It is also interesting to note that one of the richest sources for cyanocobalamin is activated sewage sludge. So when I mention yeast flakes as a treatment for riboflavin deficiency, I mean just that; flakes of yeast, which I buy from a bulk dispenser in my local organic shop. If you can't get pure organic yeast flakes, then with any other 'yeast flakes' I would check the packet for ingredients and additives.

As an alternative to yeast flakes the other highest form of B2, is in raw beef liver, organic beef liver is not pricey and the amount you need is very small. I always keep some in the freezer, ready to use in an emergency, although we eat it anyway. I would never advise using non-organic offal, the liver is effectively part of the body's waste disposal system, all pesticide and other toxic residues, not only pass through it but can be stored therein.

Other useful sources of B2 are;

• oily fish, such as mackerel
• hard boiled egg
• invertebrates (so having a compost heap is a great source)
• raw milk cheeses, such as Camembert
• Kale
• almonds
• sesame seeds

If one of your chicks exhibits riboflavin deficiency and you have had all your hatching eggs from the same source, it is a good idea to give them all some extra B complex rich foods, chances are they may all be deficient.

 

Administering yeast flakes 

Although yeast flakes have quite a strong smell and thus taste, most birds seem to love them but there is always an exception. Another thing to take into consideration is, that when you are feeling weak or ill, it is often easier to drink rather than eat. Yeast flakes are water soluble, so mixing them with a liquid (including the highly nutritious organic raw virgin coconut oil) and getting the bird to sip it from a spoon may be easier (with one or two exceptions, as you will see in the film).  My technique for getting a bird to drink is to introduce the tip of its beak to the liquid and to stroke the back of its head.

The Gourmet Fly

I have rarely found a quail chick who will not go crazy for a fly, so coating it in yeast flakes, like a breaded fish can sometimes be a useful ruse for a chick who turns its beak up at the raw flakes.

Covering all Contingencies

As with all deficiencies they tend to come in multiples and many leg and foot problems can also be traced to deficiencies in;

Selenium

This is something that is needed in very small amounts but without it the bird can become crippled and die. The very best way to get selenium into a bird is the Brazil nut and as selenium is toxic in large amounts and as the recommended allowance for Brazil nuts is around three per day for a human, the dosage for a quail chick is tiny. I usually just take one or two fine gratings from the end of the nut and add it to my yeast flakes.

You can also get selenium as a transdermal spray! I have found this an ideal delivery to treat the small chicks belonging to my neighbours and friends, the former have no bond with me, so it is quick and a lot less stressful for them.

Cobalamin - Vitamin B12 - the DNA Big Hitter

B12 deficiency is in epidemic proportions in the human population and  amongst poultry and other livestock. The symptoms are so various that in any form of weakness in a bird, I would always be wanting to supplement this. It can only be found in animal protein, and only good quality to boot;

• Invertebrate wild protein from the compost heap is the tops but if this is not an option then 
• raw beef liver, 
• fish, 
• shellfish,
• egg.  

Folate - Vitamin B9

This vitamin works in synergy with B12, so it is necessary to feed both and here again, do not be confused with folic acid which is a synthetic vitamin and which actually depletes B12. The media, dictionaries, the internet and even health professionals use folate and folic acid as if they are the same, they are not! Folate can be found in a variety of leafy vegetables/vegetation;

• broccoli
• turnip greens
• moss
• meadow pasture
• cauliflower
• bok choi
• lettuce

The Inuit, who traditionally have no access to fresh vegetables, do not have folate deficiency, which is a great illustration of the maxim that you are not only what you eat but what you eat eats. Caribou, which form a major part of the Inuit diet, live on sphagnum moss, which is a great source of folate, so by consuming the liver, where it is stored, the Inuit make up their requirement.
..and now if you'd like to, sit back and watch the film

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube, Odysee  or BitChute Channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

Until next time, all the very best from sunny Normandie! 

Sue

RELATED POSTS

Identification of riboflavin deficiency in purchased quail and hatching eggs

Quail have a high basal metabolic rate and as such their problems with nutrition are dramatically and rapidly revealed...read more

Common Nutritional Deficiencies in Quail, Game-birds & Poultry

Many nutritional deficiencies in chicks are in fact due to gaps in parental diet, which impact directly upon the quality of the embryo's nutrition and therefore start within the shell..read more 

Emergency Treatment, Follow-ups and Keeping Calm

The great thing about this emergency treatment is that it is concocted from simple foodstuffs you probably have to hand in your kitchen cupboards...read more


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© 2016 Sue Cross

Curled Toe Paralysis in Poultry - Identifying Riboflavin Deficiency in Non-organic Purchased Quail

The manifestation of curled toe paralysis and its treatment are the same for most poultry but I'm using quail as the example because although I've treated it in other people's birds, within my own flock I've only come across it in quail. Nutritional deficiencies in quail manifest themselves in much the same way as I have seen them occur in humans. In fact it is through my experience of keeping quail that I have gained a better understanding into the tell-tale signs of deficiency in myself and my family. Quail have a high basal metabolic rate and as such their problems with nutrition are dramatically and rapidly revealed and equally speedy in their disappearance when balance is re-established.

A lecturer from a local agricultural college once remarked that my quail were the most 'laid-back' he had ever seen. This remark has been one which I have always remembered because I see it as of great importance as an indication of general health in my quail. Whenever my quail exhibit stress or any kind of aggressive behaviour towards each other, I know it is time to up their B complex vitamins and amino acids. The easiest way to cover most of these is to make sure they have a constant supply of wild arthropods, in particular, those which dwell in compost heaps, such as woodlice (sow bugs), earwigs and compost worms (red wrigglers or bramblings). These latter are more nutritious than earthworms, which although a favourite with quail are bad converters of their food and thus not as nutritious as their compost cousins.

In this article I am going to look at riboflavin (B2). This was the first ever deficiency I came across both in quail and later in my neighbour's poultry, when he brought me over a 'hen chick' with what he thought was a damaged leg. Let's first examine what B2 does and then go on to look at the symptoms which would be expected in a quail and which also hold true for other poultry. As already mentioned, the B complex vitamins are of tantamount importance to the body as they have an effect on both the physical and the nervous system of the bird.

B2 Riboflavin - Functions and Associations

Riboflavin is required by the body to both produce energy from the intake of food and to regulate its use, without it the mitrochondria, what might be referred to as the 'batteries' of the cells, cannot function properly. B2 also aids the body to produce glutathione which acts as a free radical scavenger protecting the body from disease and premature aging. A lack of glutathione causes damage to both the red and white blood cells and in addition, disruption to the nervous system. Glutathione is also thought to protect the eyes from problems caused by excessive sunlight. Most importantly from the point of view of adult non-organic quail, glutathione is necessary for the elimination of heavy metals and other toxins accumulated by the body. B2 is also associated with the body's assimilation of other B complex vitamins, such as the coenzyme B6 (active form, P5P or pyridoxal 5 phosphate) and folate (B9). Thus riboflavin deficiency can also bring with it deficiency in the other B complex vitamins, all of tantamount importance to the nervous system.

What to look for

The first indication in a quail chick of riboflavin deficiency is a general lethargy, this may be hard to spot if you have not kept quail before. Quail chicks are different to 'hen chicks', they are precocial and much faster on their feet. Unlike chicks they do not follow the same behavioural patterns, with regard to frequency of sitting under the mother and coming out to forage. In quail chicks, I have observed that the intervals between these periods of activity and rest are much shorter. Therefore, I am always looking for anomalies in this behaviour and in particular individuals, who may be sitting down more often than I would expect them to. The picture above tells such just such a story. I took it as a 'snap' shot, it was so unusual to see a week-old quail at complete rest, apart from when sunbathing and sleeping. It's a cute photo but when I returned to the greenhouse, from having taken back the camera, this little chick hadn't moved and in fact when I got him on his feet I found he had just the hint of a limp. Interestingly enough, it was this group of quail chicks first day out in the greenhouse and they had been very energetically weeding and finding insect pests. Experience has taught me the difference between a quail chick, who is just having a break, a sunbathe or a nap and one who is showing early signs of B2 deficiency.

The next stages and resulting symptoms of B2 deficiencies, after the sitting down and the slight limp, come on pretty quickly.

These include:

• the quail sitting on one or both its hocks and or dropping down onto one knee as it walks. This is then accompanied by,

• a tendency of one or both wings, to droop or drop down as if it is an effort to keep them in place.

• the toes of the chick then begin to curl inwards and

• the chick finally exhibits paralysis in the wings, toes, feet and legs

However before this latter happens, over a matter of a few days, you will have had time to totally reverse the process and establish a complete recovery. Even after these final stages manifest themselves you will still have time but the cure will take longer and it will be much more difficult to get the nutrition in to them, particularly a hatchling or very small quail chick.

Above: sunbathing.
Below: the beginnings of curled toe paralysis. When you see this chick in the film, which will be included with the next article, you will observe he exhibits drooping wings and also the tell-tale limp.




In the next article I will look at how to treat B2 deficiency with nutritherapy and some strategies for making sure the quail get sufficient to effect a complete cure.

Thanks for dropping by and if you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it and also maybe about joining this blog. Please also feel free to ask questions or make comments in the section below.

All the very best,

Sue

RELATED POSTS

How to cure curled toe paralysis (riboflavin deficiency)

For my 'field study', I am using the example of quail chicks, from non-organic purchased hatching eggs because this is the area in which, sadly I have a great deal of experience ..read more

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©  Sue Cross 2015