Short answer: Curled toe paralysis is a nerve problem caused by too little riboflavin, also called vitamin B2, in the ration. Chicks around their second and third week walk on their hocks with the toes curled under, and the fix is a ration that supplies enough riboflavin from the first day. Chicks already paralysed may not recover fully, so the feed change matters most before the signs appear.
Key takeaways
- Curled toe paralysis is a riboflavin (vitamin B2) shortage that damages nerves, so the toes curl and the chick walks on its hocks.
- Maize-heavy home rations with no premix are the most common cause we hear about in Ghana.
- Light and long storage break riboflavin down, so feed left in a clear sack in the sun can lose its value.
- Mild cases recover once the ration is corrected; long-standing nerve damage may not.
- Breeder hens short of riboflavin can produce embryos with curled toes, so the fix starts in the parent flock too.
The chick that walks on its hocks
Pick up a chick with curled toe paralysis and at first there seems to be very little wrong with it. The body is warm, the eyes are bright, and it may still peck at the feed. Then you put it down and it does not stand. It sits back on its hocks, the toes of both feet curl under, and it shuffles forward on the joint of its leg.
Farmers often tell us the chick "looks lazy" for the first day. That is the wrong word. The chick is trying to walk and cannot get its feet to grip the floor. In the flocks we see, a handful of chicks at two or three weeks show this while the rest of the brood looks normal enough to keep the owner calm, until the numbers climb.
The cause is a nutrient, not a germ. Riboflavin, vitamin B2, is a small molecule the bird needs to run its energy chemistry and to keep its nerves in good repair. When the ration runs short, the nerves that drive the toes and legs begin to fail. The cause is simple to correct. The nerve damage does not always reverse.
What riboflavin does, and why growing birds need so much
Riboflavin is the building block of two coenzymes, FMN and FAD, which help the bird release energy from protein, fat and carbohydrate. Every cell uses them, but a fast-growing chick uses more energy per kilo of body than most adult birds, so its demand is higher in the first weeks.
The nerve side matters just as much. Nerves carry a fatty insulating sheath, and building and maintaining that sheath depends on a steady supply of riboflavin. A chick short of it cannot keep its peripheral nerves working, which is why the first sign often appears in the legs and toes rather than in weight.
Here is the Ghanaian problem. Maize is the main energy source in most local rations, and maize is low in riboflavin. Our vitamin deficiencies guide lists the other vitamins that go short in the same rations. Wheat bran and rice bran add some, but in a home mix with a lot of maize and little else, the ration can fall short without anyone noticing. The chicks still eat well and still look plump in week one.
The signs, in the order you will see them
The early signs are not dramatic. Growth slows a little. Feathers look rough. Chicks spend more time lying down and less time at the feeder. A brood that was active on day ten looks flat by day sixteen. If you are watching closely, you may see a chick drag one leg or take short steps and then sit.
The classic sign comes next. The toes curl inward and under, sometimes so tightly that the chick walks on the backs of its toes or on its hocks. In a severe case the bird cannot stand at all, and it may fall over when it tries to turn.
Breeders show something different. In a riboflavin-short parent flock, embryos may die late in incubation, in the last few days before hatch. Some chicks that do hatch show curled toes from the start. If you run your own incubator, a run of curled-toed chicks at the box is a warning about the parent ration, not the incubator.
- Slower growth and rough feathering in the second week.
- Chicks lying down more and eating less.
- One or two chicks dragging a leg or sitting back on the hock.
- Toes curled under, with the chick walking on its hocks.
- At hatch, late embryo deaths and chicks with curled toes at the box.
The problem is in the nerves, not the feet
It is tempting to treat curled toes as a foot problem and reach for tape. Taping the toes does nothing for the cause. The toes curl because the nerves that tell the foot muscles how to hold the foot are not working properly. The foot is responding to a broken signal.
Recovery depends on how far the nerve damage has gone. A chick that has been short of riboflavin for a few days and then gets a proper ration often improves within days to a couple of weeks, as the nerves repair. A chick that has been walking on its hocks for a fortnight may keep a permanent curl, or may never stand properly again.
Judge each chick, not the flock average. A chick that can stand, take a few steps and reach the feed is a candidate for recovery. A chick that cannot reach feed or water unaided, or that is losing weight fast, should be seen by your vet. Humane culling is a fair option if the vet confirms there is no realistic recovery.
Telling it apart from the other two leg problems
Three leg problems confuse farmers in the brooder: curled toe paralysis, perosis and spraddle leg. They look alike to a tired eye, but they begin in different places and need different fixes.
Curled toe begins at the toes and travels up the nerve. The toes are the first thing to change, and they curl under while the chick often stays bright and eager to eat. For the hock problem, read our perosis guide, and for the splayed-leg problem, our spraddle leg guide. Perosis begins at the hock, with a swollen joint and a tendon that slips sideways, and it tends to show as the chick grows rather than in its first days. Spraddle leg is a floor problem. The legs are pushed out to the sides, usually in the first days, and the chick stays that way because it cannot grip.
Quick test: lift one chick and look at its toes first, then its hock, then the angle of its legs on a smooth surface. Curled toes with a bright bird point to riboflavin. A swollen hock with a tendon out of place points to perosis. Legs spread wide on a slippery floor point to spraddle, and that fix starts with the floor, not the feed.
Where the riboflavin goes missing on Ghanaian farms
Three things drain riboflavin out of a ration in our part of the world. The first is the recipe. A home mix that is mostly maize, with a small share of bran and no premix, is poor in this vitamin. Many farmers who mix their own believe maize and bran supply everything, and in most respects they do. Riboflavin is the exception that gets missed.
The second is light. Riboflavin breaks down under light and is one of the more light-sensitive vitamins. A bag of feed left in a clear plastic sack in the sun at a roadside stall, or a mash spread on a tray in the yard all day, loses some of its value. Opaque, lidded bins protect it.
The third is time. Stored feed keeps losing vitamins, more slowly than it loses moisture. A bag bought in the harmattan and used in the rains has had longer to lose its value, especially if it sat in a hot store. That is one reason we ask farmers to buy only what they can use in a few weeks. The guide to mixing your own feed covers the home-mix side of the same problem.
Reading a ration for riboflavin
You do not need a laboratory to see which ingredients carry riboflavin and which do not. The table gives a rough guide. It is not a feed analysis, but it shows where your ration is weak and where a premix or a complete feed is worth paying for.
| Ingredient | Riboflavin in the ration | What it means for your mix |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow maize | Low | Fine for energy, but it cannot carry the vitamin load on its own |
| Wheat bran and rice bran | Moderate | Helps, but usually not enough when maize makes up most of the mix |
| Groundnut cake and soya meal | Low to moderate | Good protein, but riboflavin is still short |
| Fishmeal | Moderate to good | A useful part of the vitamin picture when the inclusion is sound |
| Yeast products | High | Among the richest natural sources, though cost limits how much you can use |
| Vitamin premix | Added by the maker | The most reliable option, if the label states a riboflavin level |
When you buy a ready feed or a premix, check the label for the vitamin list. A label that says only "vitamins" tells you very little. Ask the supplier for the riboflavin level in milligrams per kilo and compare it with the maker's recommendation for your bird's age. For most farmers starting out, a complete starter feed is simpler than building a home mix for the first six weeks. Our chick starter feed guide sets out what to look for on the bag.
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The fix: a ration that supplies enough riboflavin
When the first curled toes show, change the feed the same day. Do not wait for more chicks to show it, because the nerves keep taking damage while the ration stays short.
- Pull the mash in use and set it aside. Note the recipe, or the brand and bag mark.
- Move to a complete starter or grower feed from a maker who lists riboflavin on the label, or add a vitamin premix to your mix exactly as the premix maker directs.
- Keep the new feed in a closed, opaque bin out of direct sun, and mix only what you will use in a day or two.
- Check the trough twice a day and make sure every chick can reach it without climbing over others.
- Record which chicks are improving and which are not, every second day.
Do not add extra riboflavin on a guess. Vitamin products are dosed by weight and by species, and the premix maker's directions and your vet's advice are the only safe guide. More is not better, and an uneven extra can upset the other nutrients in the ration. The premix guide explains how to read a vitamin and mineral label.
Breeder hens: the problem starts in the parent flock
If you hatch your own eggs, the riboflavin in the hen's ration matters before any chick is born. The hen passes vitamins into the egg, and the embryo draws on that store during incubation. A breeder ration short of riboflavin can produce embryos that die late, and chicks that hatch with curled toes or weak legs.
The fix is the same in principle: a complete breeder ration, or a verified premix in a home mix, fed consistently. Avoid abrupt feed changes in breeders. Keep records of the breeder feed and the hatch results together, so a poor hatch can be traced to a feed change rather than blamed on the incubator.
For a farmer who buys chicks rather than hatching, the lesson is quieter but still useful. A brood that arrives with a few curled-toed chicks is worth raising with the supplier, so keep the batch record, a photo of the box and the date. You can read how our chicks move from egg to box on the imported chicks page and the hatchery page.
A worked example: 150 chicks on a maize-heavy mix
Take a farmer who bought 150 Plymouth Rock chicks at GH₵7 each, which is GH₵1,050 in chicks. The brood was on a home mix of maize, bran and a little fishmeal with no premix, because the farmer believed the bran would cover the vitamins.
By day 16 about one chick in ten was walking on its hocks. By day 20 the number had reached 18, and 12 of those could not reach the feed reliably. The farmer switched to a complete starter the same day. Over the next ten days, 6 of the 18 started to stand and walk again. The other 12 stayed crooked and were culled humanely on the vet's advice.
The direct cost of those 12 birds in chick price is GH₵84, which is small. The larger cost was lost growth across the other 138 birds. The brood finished about a week behind its planned weights, and each extra week keeps birds, feed and labour tied up in the house. That is what a vitamin gap nobody measured costs.
When to wait, and when to cull
Give a corrected ration three to five days before you judge it, and watch chicks one by one rather than as a crowd. Chicks that are standing, eating and gaining weight are recovering even if they still look awkward. Chicks that are not eating, that are losing weight, or that cannot reach the feed will not recover in time to matter to your flock.
Culling is a welfare decision, and your vet is the right person to confirm it. Do not leave a chick that cannot stand to die slowly in the litter, and do not let the flock peck or trample it. Follow your vet's advice on ending a bird's life humanely and on disposing of the carcass.
If a second group shows the same signs within a few weeks of the first, stop looking at the chicks and look at the bag. A repeat pattern almost always means the ration or the store has not changed the way you think it has. When you restock, our price list and the order form are the quickest route, or send the bag label you are using now to +233 24 915 1503 on WhatsApp.
Questions farmers ask
What is curled toe paralysis in chicks?
It is a nerve disorder caused by too little riboflavin (vitamin B2) in the ration. Affected chicks, most often around the second and third week, curl their toes under and walk on their hocks. It is a nutritional problem rather than an infection, so it does not spread from bird to bird the way a germ does. The fix is a ration that supplies enough riboflavin.
Can a chick with curled toes recover?
Often yes, if the ration is corrected early and the nerve damage is still mild. Chicks that are standing and eating usually improve over days to a couple of weeks. Chicks that have been paralysed for a long time, or that cannot reach feed and water, may keep a permanent curl. Judge each chick individually and ask your vet when to cull.
Is more vitamin the answer?
Not by itself. A single extra dose of riboflavin will not repair a ration that is short in other nutrients too. Use a complete feed or a premix formulated for your bird's age and follow the maker's directions. Guessing at extra vitamins can unbalance the rest of the ration.
Why did this happen when the birds were eating well?
Because they were eating, not eating a balanced ration. A maize-heavy mix supplies enough energy to keep chicks fat and active for the first week, so the shortfall shows later, in the nerves and feet. Growth is not the only signal to watch.
Does sunlight really destroy riboflavin?
Light does break down riboflavin, so feed left in the sun or in clear sacks for long periods loses some of its value. Keep feed in closed, opaque bins out of direct light, and do not leave mash spread on a tray in the yard all day.
Can curled toe come from breeder hens?
Yes. Breeder hens short of riboflavin can produce embryos that die late in incubation, and some chicks that hatch show curled toes from the start. The hen's ration matters weeks before the egg is set. If hatch results drop alongside chick problems, review the breeder ration first, then check how the eggs were stored and turned before blaming the incubator.
Is curled toe the same as perosis?
No. Curled toe starts at the toes and is a nerve problem caused by riboflavin. Perosis starts at the hock, with a swollen joint and a tendon that slips out of its groove, and it is linked to other nutrients and to growth. The two can appear in the same brood, which is why the feed history matters.
