Broken Toe

[a.felix]

I have a large bronze hen, friendly as anything and healthy to boot.

Today, she got her toe caught in something whilst free-ranging, and when I found her, I didn't realize right away (she has a limp already, from before she came to me). When I had brought her back to her pen, however, she wasn't eating (usually she's hungry in the evenings) and wasn't 'talking' to me like normal. I herded her toward her food, and realized there was a big sticky blood spot on the ground.

I rinsed her foot down, and found that her dewclaw had been broken, right in the middle of the talon and straight down. It's still mostly attached, but bent far to the side and it was bleeding profusely, although it slowed after about five minutes (estimated).

I couldn't get much help with her (I was hoping to get someone to hold her while I checked it out, but she eventually let me hold her foot out behind her while she stood, and clean it. it's not pretty, but it was done bleeding, at least. It's getting dark out there, and she wasn't seeming to be upset over it anymore, so I slathered it with ozonal and stop-pick and put her in a pen alone.

So I'm wondering...
Now what? Putting her down is my last resort, and veterinary service isn't an option. Should I attempt to clean it better and wrap it, or should I just let it be and keep an eye on it? What can I do to try to prevent infection? Should I pull out her talon? Again, just what comes next, or does anything?

 

[yinepu]

I have chickens who are missing entire toes because of raccoons.. all I would suggest (someone may have a better idea than me).. would be to spray some blu-kote or antiseptic on it and leave it alone.. birds are pretty tough critters.. and a broken toe is no reason to be culled

 

[jackietheturkeylover]

I've worked with something similar before but I'm going to need a photo
do you think you could send me a pic?
Depending on how bad the wound is
sometimes they'll heal or the talon will grow back, but like I said I'm not sure
I need a pic

hope I helped
Jackie

 

[a.felix]

She lost the tip of her toe overnight, so it looks a lot less gruesome than before (the talon had been broken in half and the toe bent sideways at that break, like I said. Sprayed it with disinfectant, it's a lot less muddy since it's not bleeding; she usually keeps her feet pretty clean.

So now I don't have to worry about setting it, but should I do anything but keep it clean?

 

[Denninmi]

It wouldn't hurt to put some antibiotic ointment on it a couple of times a day for 4 or 5 days. Probably not really necessary unless you see it swelling and looking infected, but better safe than sorry if its not a problem to handle the bird.

 

[a.felix]

The problem is that before I got her, she'd broken a bone more central in her foot, and the way it healed, that whole foot is a bit swollen-looking compared to the other. I'm glad the general consensus is positive though, she's a nice bird and I was worried.

She's a bit out of spirits- not chattery anymore and she isn't wandering around the yard so much, but she doesn't seem too bothered, and she's more like herself than she was yesterday.