Limping Bantam

[Lizl]

One of my older Bantams is limping quite a bit. When he's in a hurry, he hops on one foot all the way! Apart from his toe nails being quite long, I can't see anything else wrong with his foot. Should I try cutting his nails? If so, what do I use? A sidecutter maybe?

 

[chickenbaguette]

If his nails are very long it can twist the toes and cause pain. When I first cut my bantam's nails, I used wire cutters. The nails are softer than you think, though, and it's better to get some actual chicken nail and beak clippers so there is no splaying at the ends. The ones for hamsters and guinea pigs are the same thing, and work just as well. Cut them at a slant, a little at a time. Be careful not to cut the quick - the whiter or darker bit near the toe end of the nail, it's sort of pointy and goes up the middle... if you cut it it will hurt the chicken and the nails will bleed. If you do cut the quick, though, it should stop bleeding by itself - just put the chicken on something soft and clean until it dries up. Some people say they can bleed to death through their nails, but I think that's over exaggerating quite a bit. To be on the safe side, just cut a little at a time to allow the quick to recede, and do it over several days. Once clipped, file the ends of the nails smooth with a nail file, or he could cut himself trying to scratch.

Are the pads on the bottom of his feet hard at all? That could indicate a staph infection, probably bumblefoot.

And are there any lumps under his feet or are the scales raised slightly?

Also, check for any cuts, no matter how small, as they can get infected and lead to bumblefoot too.

This is a good site for chicken diseases: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

Good luck, I hope he's ok!

 

[Judy]

If you can find nothing wrong, no bumblefoot, etc., it may simply be an arthritic hip, poor bird.

 

[chickenbaguette]

Good point ^^ That's more likely