Do you need to trim chicken toe nails

[chickenlover8969]

Do you need to trim chicken toe nails.
If you do how short should you cut them.

 

[TooCheep]

Normally not. They will keep them at a reasonable length by their natural behavior of scratching at the ground.

That said, I can see some circumstances where it might be needed, like if they are disabled and don't really walk/scratch much or have bumblefoot.

 

[NatJ]

Do you need to trim chicken toe nails.
If you do how short should you cut them.

Chickens usually keep their own toenails short enough by scratching around in the dirt.

Sometimes the nails do get too long (chickens living in a cage, or confined to a coop for the winter, or getting old/feeling ill and not scratching as much.)

If the toenails get long enough that they twist sideways when the chicken tries to stand on a flat surface, it is probably best to cut them a bit.

Chicken toenails can be trimmed about the same way as dog or cat toenails: look for the quick inside the nail, and trim only the part of the nail that has no quick. Depending on the size of the chicken, you might be able to use human nail clippers (chicks, some bantams) or clippers made for dogs & cats, or various other cutting tools.

The quick has nerves and blood vessels, and if you hold a light-colored nail up to the light you can see that the quick is a darker area inside. Dark nails are a problem, so just make a guess and hope for the best. Trimming little bits at a time will keep you from cutting very deeply into the quick: if the chicken jumps when you cut, or starts to bleed, you've gone a bit too far and should not cut that nail any shorter. Finding where the quick is on one nail can help you guess where it is likely to be on the other nails too.

Cutting into the quick will hurt the chicken (ouch!), and will cause it to bleed (there are various ways to stop the bleeding, but I always forget the list because it's not a problem I've personally had to deal with. There's something specific you can buy at the store, and something common in kitchens-- maybe flour?)

 

[JacinLarkwell]

If the ground is too soft and they can't wear them down, yes. If they have white nails, you can usually see the quick enough to avoid it. If they're dark nails, you have to just kinda guess and only take off small clips until they're shorter. If you hit a quick, cornstarch pressed against the wound will help with the bleeding

 

[chickenlover8969]

Chickens usually keep their own toenails short enough by scratching around in the dirt.

Sometimes the nails do get too long (chickens living in a cage, or confined to a coop for the winter, or getting old/feeling ill and not scratching as much.)

If the toenails get long enough that they twist sideways when the chicken tries to stand on a flat surface, it is probably best to cut them a bit.

Chicken toenails can be trimmed about the same way as dog or cat toenails: look for the quick inside the nail, and trim only the part of the nail that has no quick. Depending on the size of the chicken, you might be able to use human nail clippers (chicks, some bantams) or clippers made for dogs & cats, or various other cutting tools.

The quick has nerves and blood vessels, and if you hold a light-colored nail up to the light you can see that the quick is a darker area inside. Dark nails are a problem, so just make a guess and hope for the best. Trimming little bits at a time will keep you from cutting very deeply into the quick: if the chicken jumps when you cut, or starts to bleed, you've gone a bit too far and should not cut that nail any shorter. Finding where the quick is on one nail can help you guess where it is likely to be on the other nails too.

Cutting into the quick will hurt the chicken (ouch!), and will cause it to bleed (there are various ways to stop the bleeding, but I always forget the list because it's not a problem I've personally had to deal with. There's something specific you can buy at the store, and something common in kitchens-- maybe flour?)

thank you we have guiney pigs and we have to cut there tornails they have auiks so I know what ur talkin about thanks

 

[chickenlover8969]

If the ground is too soft and they can't wear them down, yes. If they have white nails, you can usually see the quick enough to avoid it. If they're dark nails, you have to just kinda guess and only take off small clips until they're shorter. If you hit a quick, cornstarch pressed against the wound will help with the bleeding

Thanks

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Just like dogs and cats, some birds will be far more chill with being trimmed than others. I have a phoenix hen (bless her heart) who just can't get her nails worn down on her own. Hasn't been able to for her whole life. She's much better at letting me pluck her up when she's waiting for food to trim than most of my others that manage to wear theirs down more often