GLW caught her toe in wire.....

[Chick CJ]

this afternoon at the bottom of the outside of the run. I saw it happen and I ran over and unstuck it while my wonderful mother in law held onto her. It wasn't stuck all that bad but of course when it happened the other hens freaked out with her and made her pull on it some. It seems like it sliced it just above the toe nail. It bled some and I tried to wrap it but she wouldn't keep it on and after a few times it didn't seem necessary. There is a little dried blood left on it but she seems to be walking okay and no one has bothered her today. I cleaned it but of course she is walking in dirt and chicken poop!

None of my hens have had any kind of cuts before so I don't know what the chance for infection is. Is there anything I should know/do at this point to ensure a proper healing?
Thanks.
CJ

 

[ellieroo]

Had a couple of mine do that and the best thing is to rinse with water a couple of times and then let nature do her thing! But there is often a lot of blood especially if a toenail is ripped off so worry sets in but she will be fine!

 

[feathersnuggles]

I've dealt with a number of foot or toenail injuries. Usually, I wash the wound quite a bit with water. then saline solution, then make sure it stops bleeding. Then, put some betadine or iodine (or antibiotic cream, if applicable) on it, wrap with a bit of gauze, and wrap snug, but not super-tight, using vet-wrap which sticks together and doesn't come apart easily. I felt better protecting fresh wounds from dirt & poop bacterias. If yours isn't limping, and you can't keep it wrapped, just check it every day, cleansing it and inspecting to be sure the wounds aren't becoming infected.

 

[Chick CJ]

Quote:
I will keep checking and cleaning everyday. That is a good idea. I could not find the vet wrap today and could not get the gauze and tape to stick and it seemed worse to have her picking at it and drawing attention to it so I decided to leave it off. I did use a wound cleanser to clean it with. My husband came home and checked her over tonight before they went in to the coop and said he did not observe her acting at all different or limping and her foot looked okay. I guess we will see tomorrow. It will be amazing to me if it just heals like that! You could just tell she was so grateful we were getting her loose, she just held real still and didn't try to pull away at all! I tell you chickens are smarter than people think.

Ellieroo, it is so comforting to be able to post on BYC and have someone answer that it will be alright. Your post instantly made me feel better! Thank you.

CJ