Manure balls on feet/toe

[taprock]

I'm not sure if this is the best place for this.....this is my first winter with silkies. Today was our first warm day so I was beak and claw trimming and inspecting feet. I was horrified to find several manure balls on the feathers of one silkies feet and one covering the end of her toe. They were not visible from the top. I wasn't able to get them off and am hoping someone can tell me how to remove them without injuring my little girl. I thought they got them from wet feet, she hasn't left the coop all winter.

 

[my sunwolf]

I'm not sure if this is the best place for this.....this is my first winter with silkies. Today was our first warm day so I was beak and claw trimming and inspecting feet. I was horrified to find several manure balls on the feathers of one silkies feet and one covering the end of her toe. They were not visible from the top. I wasn't able to get them off and am hoping someone can tell me how to remove them without injuring my little girl. I thought they got them from wet feet, she hasn't left the coop all winter.

My Silkies actually get them too, especially when the bedding is too dry. This means their poo sticks to the moistest surface, which is their feet, rather than sticking to the bedding. When the bedding has been composting for a few weeks, the poos are much more likely to fall into the bedding rather than sticking to the bottoms of the feet. I also find it helps when they stir up their bedding, so I throw feed or scratch down to get them doing that.

To get the poo off, you can soak the feet in warm water and gently pry.

 

[mcvey5chickens]

Have feet and soften manure no luck. It is like cement. Any suggestions

 

[mcvey5chickens]

How do you soak chicken feet?

 

[enola]

Stand them in water with just a couple of drops of dish liquid. You may have to hold them to get them to keep their feet in the water.

 

[MyHeadIsRed]

This happened to our silkie, too. It is like cement and you have to soak them for quite a while to get it to soften. It will come off with soaking, but can take 20-30 minutes.

 

[Cinnabar45]

This happened to our silkie, too. It is like cement and you have to soak them for quite a while to get it to soften. It will come off with soaking, but can take 20-30 minutes.

We have a speckled Sussex hen that's prone to accumulating manure balls. Possibly it's due to her extra long nails, because none of our other hens (different variety, shorter nails) have this problem.
I've soaked her feet in warm water and baking soda, but all that does is soften the outer layer slightly. What works best is, after soaking, to use heavy-duty nail clippers to CAREFULLY snip away at the edge of the ball closest to the leg. You need clippers sold for ingrown or thickened toenails, the kind that have a padded grip and a spring mechanism.
These are the only tool I've found that can crack the balls without putting too much pressure on the chicken's toes. But you have to be careful not to cut too fast or too deeply, lest you inadvertently remove a toe.
I'd recommend wearing surgical gloves for this procedure as well as glasses or a face mask, just in case your hens aren't as docile as mine.