Dried balls on pullets toes

[Dasha]

Hi,
I am new to this forum and new to having chickens. We picked up 4 Bovan 21 week old pullets two nights ago, and I'm starting to realize that I didn't ask the right questions when I talked to the chicken breeder. He brought out our four chickens and sortof stuffed them into the crate that we had brought. We discussed the fact that they'd been vaccinated and wormed and then we were off.

When we got them home and into their new chicken tractor home, I noticed that they had dried lumps of whatever on their toes. Big hard lumps, some of them the size of a cherry. Yesterday I soaked the feet of one of them in warm water and tried to get the lumps off - they're not budging. They're like concrete and must have been on there a long time. The birds are very sweet and placid - this poor girl let me do all this stuff to her the day after she got moved to our place.

I'm feeding them organic layer mash, and their pen is on grass. Yesterday I scattered some organic soft wheat kernels in their pen and this morning we gave them comfrey leaves. They had diarrhea when we brought them home but their poop seems to be more solid now. Now that they seem to have gotten over the stress of moving, I'll add fruit and vegetables to their diet too and after a little while they will free range in our garden.

They have pine shavings in their house and they are on grass in their pen.

Does anyone know how to get these lumps off their toes without damaging their feet? They are really hard! Thanks for any help.

Dasha

 

[ibpboo]

Keep soaking their toes and keep trying to pick it off. It is very very hard to get off sometimes, and they will chirp a lot. Do it a few minutes at a time, then go back to it a little later, it will eventually come off, keep soaking. Its poo and stuff.

 

[ibpboo]

Oh and welcome!

 

[Poison Ivy]

Just keep soaking their feet till it comes off it's dried poo and other stuff. Hopefully their toes will be ok once it all off. Good Luck with your new birds and Welcome to byc.

 

[DuckLady]

Do they walk ok?
Does it seem like mud or caked poo?

Can you post pics? It "could" be bumblefoot as well as dried on stuff, but you can't be sure til you get under it.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

My Mille Fleur had that happen and what I did in between soaking was coat it in Olive oil and the helped keep it wet until the next soaking. Took about an hour of soaking with rest in between. Good luck! AND welcome to BYC

 

[Dasha]

Thanks everyone for your welcomes and replies. I'll post pictures when I figure out how to do that, and keep soaking and picking at the dried stuff on our chickens feet. The oil idea seems like a good plan, too.
Thanks
Dasha

 

[smith2]

Be sure and not pull too hard because sometimes their nails can be pulled out with the dried stuff. Just keeping soaking.

 

[Dasha]

Quote:
They walk fine, although they make little clunking noises when they walk up the ramp to their house. I'm thinking it's probably caked poo and when I soak it off it'll make them even happier.

They've lived with us for less than 2 days and this morning there were 3 eggs in the laying boxes! To me this is absolutely amazing.

Dasha

 

[can you hear me now?]

Sounds great. Congrats ont the eggs. I wanted to add a question to this post. Isn't there a rule for breeders for letting a pen or run get this dirty that the poor hens get poo and stuff caked on their feet?Anything that can be done about living conditions like that?