Help!!!!!

[Nadiia]

Guys, my dad saw on YouTube that it was okay to clip your Chicks nails with a normal nail cutter. But when he did it, my chicken flinched like he was in pain and two of his nails started bleeding!! That last thing I want is for them to be in pain and I'm so angry that I didn't do more to help.. Will he be okay?!?!?!

 

[MeepBeep]

Yes, it will be OK, if the bleeding has not stopped dip the toes in some cornstarch or alum...

Just like trimming any 'toe nail' you have to be careful not to trim into the 'quick' or it will bleed, basically he trimmed off too much...

 

[Nadiia]

Yeah, we gathered that he cut too much off. The chicks okay now, he's just sitting with my dad about to fall asleep. Hopefully he'll be okay, we won't be cutting their nails anymore..

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! X2, the chick should be fine, like MeepBeep said you can use some cornstarch, flour etc to stop the bleeding. If you need to trim nails you can also use a file or dremel, less likely to hit the quick that way.

 

[BantamLover21]

Don't worry, he'll be fine. If the bleeding hasn't stopped yet, put some cornstarch or flour on the nail or apply pressure with a towel. The bleeding should stop shortly.

What happened was your dad cut too far, and hit the "quick", which is the blood vessel that runs through each nail. As long as you don't hit the quick when trimming nails, a chicken feels no pain (though it may still flinch during cutting) and the nail won't bleed. However, it can be hard to tell where the quick is, and even people who have experience trimming chicken nails (like me) still occasionally draw blood. With birds that have light colored nails, you can sometimes see the red outline of the quick through the claw, but with darker nails, that is impossible--you just have to trim small bits off at a time.

Also,

 

[drumstick diva]

Your dad was doing the best he could. Even people that have been doing it for years accidentally hit the quick. You do have to continue cutting their nails when they need it. Just like they have to be watered and fed even if the weather is horrible. When you take on living creatures, it is your responsibility to provide what they need to flourish.

 

[Nadiia]

Thanks guys. I could see that my dad was quite upset by what he had done.. Even though it was a mistake, I've tried so hard to make sure that everything is okay with these chicks because I've wanted them for such a long time. Their like my babies lol. Their nails are really dark so neither of us could see any veins. We have learnt that we have to take our time when grooming them though, I think I'm gonna leave the other one till tomorrow so I can concentrate properly, thanks guys!xxxx

P.S. I think it may be because the nail is long but one of them twist a little bit to the side.. Is that normal?

 

[Papas Chickens]

I have never cut my chickens nails, I dont understand why you would need to.

 

[Nadiia]

I didn't know if I needed to or not, my dad just saw a video online and their nails looked a bit long.. They don't run around as much as I'd like then too either so they don't really wear they're nails down.

 

[MeepBeep]

I have never cut my chickens nails, I dont understand why you would need to.

Like any animal in captivity many times they lack the proper environment to naturally 'wear down' their nails, and thus require trimming or else they can overgrow and cause issues with the toes and feet...