Ingrown spur on almost 4 yo Buff Orpington

[chickenherder26]

Hello all,
I feel awful posting this but we were not on top of this issue, didn't know it would happen, and now don't know what to do. Earlier this year I did notice her spurs were curved around almost back to her leg but didn't know that they would actually grow into her leg. Which is now the case. So the nail is actually grown into the leg on one side (pics 1 and 2) and on the other side it is just starting (pic 3). However she does not seem to have any ill effects from this, she doesn't limp, roosts normally, eating well and looks healthy; she has re-gained weight from when she was ill with sour crop and a hard, swollen abdomen earlier this year (both of these have resolved). She is a rather crabby hen which we attribute to her normal nature.
Can anyone advise us what to do? It looks like we could cut through the nail to separate the spur from her leg but the nail would still be in there. And what would we use to cut it at this point? The other side, while it almost looks like you could just pull out the nail, may not be so easy either.

 

[tripletfeb]

Cut her spurs down and pull the nail out of the leg. I would use dog nail clippers if you have them. Doesn't seem like a big deal to me but maybe it's deeper than it looks. I'll tag an expert @Wyorp Rock can you help here?

 

[Eggcessive]

I had this happen after my rooster‘s spur grew back after he tore one off. I could not get dog nail clippers around the spur to cut it, so I removed the spur with a pair of pliers. The underneath stub is very sensitive to pain, but it will toughen as time goes by. It might be good to spend a day inside a dog crate with food and water so no one pecks at them. Get another pair of hands to do this, and it may be easier after dark when he is on the roost. I use a red head lamp inside the coop to handle my chickens after dark. Here is a video of someone removing the spurs:

 

[Shadrach]

The spur needs to be cut and the point pulled out of the leg.
It's about how you do it with causing minimu pain and damage. A good vet will cut that with a saw, be it something like a dremal, or a bone saw.
Cutting with anything that applies pressure before the cut is likely to cause the outer sheath of the spur to fracture.

Some Chlorhexedine antiseptic liquid should be squirted into the hole in the leg and ideally, especially if the hole bled, the hole should be packed with an antibiotic cream. Looking at the depth and the skin where the spur has penetrated the leg I wouldn't think the hole is deep.

 

[tripletfeb]

The spur needs to be cut and the point pulled out of the leg.
It's about how you do it with causing minimu pain and damage. A good vet will cut that with a saw, be it something like a dremal, or a bone saw.
Cutting with anything that applies pressure before the cut is likely to cause the outer sheath of the spur to fracture.

Some Chlorhexedine antiseptic liquid should be squirted into the hole in the leg and ideally, especially if the hole bled, the hole should be packed with an antibiotic cream. Looking at the depth and the skin where the spur has penetrated the leg I wouldn't think the hole is deep.

A dremel is a great idea. I use one on my dog's nails, don't know why I didn't think of it here

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Cut her spurs down and pull the nail out of the leg. I would use dog nail clippers if you have them. Doesn't seem like a big deal to me but maybe it's deeper than it looks. I'll tag an expert @Wyorp Rock can you help here?

I agree, dremel or spur saw to trim the spur.
Use general wound care for any holes that are in the leg.

 

[chickenherder26]

Thank you! Yes, we took care of it this afternoon, and it wasn't as big of a deal or as deep as I was afraid of. We used dog nail clippers that we had, and antiseptic. It didn't seem to hurt her thankfully!

 

[gimmie birdies]

I had to pull out/clip a long spur from my 8 year old frizzle once. Poor baby.

 

[SmiYa0126]

View attachment 3364317
I had to pull out/clip a long spur from my 8 year old frizzle once. Poor baby.

Beautiful bird! Are frizzles cold hardy? Asking for a friend

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you! Yes, we took care of it this afternoon, and it wasn't as big of a deal or as deep as I was afraid of. We used dog nail clippers that we had, and antiseptic. It didn't seem to hurt her thankfully!

Great!
I'm glad things went well.
Thank you for the update