Hen with broken toenail still attached

[Chicken Lass]

Hi, one of my hens has a broken toenail. It's still attached but looks like it could possibly come off, especially if she keeps pecking at it. I see some red where it looks like it bled before but stopped, and it's cut completely around, but doesn't seem too loose. At least half of her toenail could come off, from what I saw, but I'm afraid to mess with it since it could cause bleeding. It's painful for her to walk on, so she's been trying to stay off of it. Should I try and trim it? Or will it possibly heal itself? I don't want to cause her any extra pain by taking it off, especially if the inside part might be still holding it together. Perhaps I could just clean it and bandage the entire thing somehow? Thanks for any advice.

 

[myfinefeatheredfriends]

I would cut it. Keep some blood stop powder nearby or use baking soda if none is available to clot the bleeding. Apply pressure to the tip of the nail until it stops bleeding. This happens a lot to poultry keepers.

 

[Chicken Lass]

Thanks so much for your reply! I went out there this morning armed with a towel and baking soda, all worried about hurting her and bleeding and everything, and when I cut it, nothing happened! LOL. I guess she had already done all her bleeding before. Now hopefully she'll be able to walk on that foot without pushing on the nail and causing pain. Thanks again.