Chickens toes missing and bloody!

[XavierG24]

Hello everyone! This is my first post/ introduction and this may not be the best way to introduce myself but I have a pretty serious problem and I need help! I have 14 White leghorns, 4 of them are 8 months and 10 of them are 5 months old. Also 5 Rhode island reds (8 months old). So lately I've had problems with their toes either missing or them opened and bloody (pictures). I've already kept them separated and made sure the wounds were kept clean and sprayed with rooster booster multiple times a day for about 12 days. Next thing I know when I put them back into the coop, theres another hen with a bloody toe and dangling off with the others pecking at it. Seems like a cycle that I cannot prevent. What could I do?

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like there may be a problem with rats chewing off toes on the roost. You may need to watch for them and treat that problem. Do you have 1/2 hardware cloth over windows and openings inside your coop? Is there a dirt floor. Most rats are looking for food, but some will go for the chickens. Locked poison boxes around the outside of the coop with a good poison such as Just One Bite or Tomcat rat baits can be helpful, but keep them away from your chickens.
https://www.justonebitebrand.com/all-products/just-one-bite-ii-bait-chunks

 

[XavierG24]

It sounds like there may be a problem with rats chewing off toes on the roost. You may need to watch for them and treat that problem. Do you have 1/2 hardware cloth over windows and openings inside your coop? Is there a dirt floor. Most rats are looking for food, but some will go for the chickens. Locked poison boxes around the outside of the coop with a good poison such as Just One Bite or Tomcat rat baits can be helpful, but keep them away from your chickens.
https://www.justonebitebrand.com/all-products/just-one-bite-ii-bait-chunks

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Everything has chicken wire but I suppose they may squeeze through the wire. Also yes the floor is only a mix of dirt and sand. The other hens pick at the wound due to them liking the red color of the blood. Seems like its only happening to the younger hens.

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, they will peck at any red or blood. You can spray the feet with BluKote spray to turn the wounds blue. It does burn a little. Chicken wire will keep chickens inside, but many predators can get through or even reach through and hurt chickens. 1/2 inch hardware cloth from Lowes or Home is easy to find. I use it on my coop windows and around my run. I have had rats burrow under my coop floor which is dirt. But the poison around the outside of the coop where the chickens could not get to, took care of the problem.

 

[XavierG24]

Yes, they will peck at any red or blood. You can spray the feet with BluKote spray to turn the wounds blue. It does burn a little. Chicken wire will keep chickens inside, but many predators can get through or even reach through and hurt chickens. 1/2 inch hardware cloth from Lowes or Home is easy to find. I use it on my coop windows and around my run. I have had rats burrow under my coop floor which is dirt. But the poison around the outside of the coop where the chickens could not get to, took care of the problem.

I hadn't thought of the digging til now, at the corners of the run there were always holes about 6 inches wide and 4 inches deep, always thought it was the chickens and not rodents. This has happened to 5 of my younger hens so it may be rats biting their feet. They would fly about 5 ft high and grab onto the wire and jump off so I thought it may have been that but it seems to be happening way too often.