Zebra finch chick deformed leg

[SimoneJane]

Hi,
I have 4 zebra finch chicks. They fledged the nest box 24 hours ago and i have noticed one has deformed looking legs. I'm assuming this is due to being squashed up in the nest box. I have been gently massaging the legs into the right position and encouraging the feet to open. This does not appear to cause any distress to the chick but I am wondering if there is anything else I can do to sort this out as the baby is newly fledged.

Simone

[Fraza]

SimoneJane if you can add a close up picture it would help

If his legs are stuck together by something there is liquids you can use

[Icearstorm]

SimoneJane

Is part of the issue slip toe (where back toe folds under rest of foot)? I had a juvenile gouldian with slip toe and tried correcting it by holding the back toe in the correct position using gauze tape or something, but unfortunately she/he kept removing it so that didn't work. Maybe your bird will tolerate it, though. Check out this article: Beak, Claw & Leg Issues

I would not recommend breeding this pair to each other again, unless you can determine an environmental cause for the issue.

[SimoneJane]

Thanks for your replies! I’m almost certain the issue has arisen from over crowded nest box as there were 4 quite large chicks squashed in it together. I have had 3 clutches of 3 chicks from
The same pair over around 18 months and not had the problem before. This time there were 4! I will try taping the back toe as it describes in the link.
Simone