Missing toenail on broody hen

[feather13]

Our Phoenix often goes broody (so annoying) and has been so for over a week. It’s been hot here, so I’ve been trying to take her out regularly to get water and food. Our chickens normally free range, but had to stay in their big run and coop today.

When I went to check on them, I noticed that the toenail of the Phoenix was gone on one of her feet. She had blood on her foot and chest and was limping. Could another hen have pecked it off??

I removed her from the coop and have her inside in a cage. I cleaned the wound and put Neosporin and a bandage on it. Is there anything else I should be doing? How long should I leave her inside to recover and does anyone have any recommendation for breaking her broodiness? Every single smaller hen we get becomes broody inevitably . Thanks for any advice!

 

[Callender Girl]

The first time one of my chickens lost a toenail, I opened the coop to find a bloody mess and was sure someone was near death -- so much blood! I suspected it happened when the girls were jostling for roost space, once I pinpointed the victim and considered her place in the pecking order.

The weird thing is that some of my girls, most particularly the Salmon Faverolles, seem to lose toenails without me even noticing. One day, I will just look at their feet and realize they have one more nubby toe.

Sounds like you are doing everything I do for mine; in my mind, recovery is when the bleeding stops.

I have never been particularly good at breaking broody girls. All of my Cochins are addicted to trying to hatch eggs, fake eggs and, sometimes, nothing at all. At least they don't scream at me like the Faverolles when I pick them up to make sure they are eating and drinking.

Good luck with your girl!

 

[feather13]

Thank you for your message! There was so much blood all over my hen's face and chest and I panicked until I realized it was her toe and, while it's still bleeding a bit, she doesn't seem to be losing a dangerous amount of blood.

She keeps pulling the bandaid off and I keep putting Neosporin on the wound, so hopefully it won't get infected. I think I'll leave her in the cage inside the house a bit longer to see if this will break her broody habit and let her recover. We have plenty of egg boxes, but of course they fight over two of them. Sometimes I see three in one box trying to lay LOL. This little Phoenix screams and growls at me when I try to get her out of the egg box and break her of her natural, but futile egg sitting. I'm guessing other hens weren't as patient with her.