Chicken limping....with no signs of injury

[rosemarythyme]

Hey yall shes just getting worse. She now stands holding her hurt foot up or lays all the time. my guess is I need to put her in a crate to force rest?

You might need to. Hopefully she'll start showing some improvement soon.

 

[aart]

my guess is I need to put her in a crate to force rest?

Might be a good idea.

 

[picklestheduck]

Hey everybody! My girl Madi the one who was limping is doing a bit better. She was inside for a day or so due to bad weather and then I let her outside again and just monitored her. She limped a bit less each day. Today I noticed her little foot seemed a bit red so I caught her and inspected it. I saw again no signs of bumble or anything, but I did notice something finally! What seems to be a broken toe nail! I'm hoping thats all it is! I know her feet are dirty still (its a swamp here pretty much!) but this was as clean as they would get!

Yowza!!!!!! Even looking at that makes ME hurt!!!! I thought about trimming it, and dont think I should pull it, but I dont want it to get caught on anything and possibly rip more.....imagine the PAIN! Idk what I could do though to be honest. I could attempt to wrap itbut i dont know if it would stay on....

 

[rosemarythyme]

I thought about trimming it, and dont think I should pull it, but I dont want it to get caught on anything and possibly rip more.....imagine the PAIN! Idk what I could do though to be honest. I could attempt to wrap itbut i dont know if it would stay on....

Is it broken as in it's loose if you poke it/gently wiggle it, or was it broken in the past and is now growing in a little oddly?

If it's actually broken it's best to take dog/cat nail trimmers and cut it just below the break line so it doesn't snag and tear again, and then apply pressure until the bloodflow slows and apply stypic powder or cornstarch to clot it (and maybe cage her overnight or bring her into the garage to let it completely clot up so the clot doesn't get dislodged and so dirt doesn't get in it). Yes it will hurt, so make sure the bird is well secured for this.

If it was broken in the past but feels solid and isn't causing pain when touched, then leave it alone, it's already healed, even if it looks weird.

 

[picklestheduck]

Is it broken as in it's loose if you poke it/gently wiggle it, or was it broken in the past and is now growing in a little oddly?

If it's actually broken it's best to take dog/cat nail trimmers and cut it just below the break line so it doesn't snag and tear again, and then apply pressure until the bloodflow slows and apply stypic powder or cornstarch to clot it (and maybe cage her overnight or bring her into the garage to let it completely clot up so the clot doesn't get dislodged and so dirt doesn't get in it). Yes it will hurt, so make sure the bird is well secured for this.

If it was broken in the past but feels solid and isn't causing pain when touched, then leave it alone, it's already healed, even if it looks weird.

I didnt mess with it too much.....she still limps slightly and holds it up now and then. I dont think it was wiggly......but I'm not sure. I'll evaluate it again tomorrow since its night time here now. Thanks so much!

 

[Ebony Rose]

If she were my girl, I'd cut a teabag open (for the material, dumping the tea) and using that material to give her a nail wrap with some crazy glue.
Try to gently get that nail back into the correct position, with your non-dominant hand stretch the fabric of the tea bag over the top surface of the nail and lightly glue it into place with the crazy glue using your dominant hand. Having someone help you will make this go easier, but it can be done solo if you pin her between your body & elbow. If the glue is taking too long to set on the nail, you can dip it into corn starch or sprinkle some corn starch on the wet glue to instantly set it. Lightly buff with a fine emery board to remove the excess tea bag. Should hold for a week or two, long enough for the nail to grow out past the quick. You shouldn't need to wrap the underside of her nail.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If she were my girl, I'd cut a teabag open (for the material, dumping the tea) and using that material to give her a nail wrap with some crazy glue.

I haven't tried that for a chicken but have tried it with a dog. Couldn't get it done on the dog properly because the break was too close to the base of the nail, so nothing to glue to in order to fix it, so in a case like that clipping off is the best solution.

I do repair my own nails that way, it makes for a very good fix.