Nail injury on rooster

[CHILLbilly]

Hi there....been using this site for some great information...BUT I have an injury on my poor roosters foot..seems he landed on it and "tore" the nail.....it is still there but can see it will not grow back...I tried to clean it as best as I could. AND being fairly new to chickens , I am cautious...scared and unsure as to how bad it really is.
He is acting the same. ( his favorite hen will not leave him) walking around looking for food and enjoying some sun. He holds foot up as the nail is pulling at the "sorespot"
I have a cat carrier ready for him to stay in to help keep the wound clean. So far I used water to clean off dirt but there is no way I can bandage it. My boyfriend has first aid training in people so I am not sure he can help.
I want to keep the wound clean and keep him comfortable as possible. I do not have a vet yet for dogs and cats but will be calling to see if they look at chickens......
my questions are...is it ok to spearate him ( will it stress him), what to use in carrier ( towels or ???) how long to let wound go for before infection sets in and to late.......
I do not think I can "cut" the nail off his toe.....it hangs there.
This is my first injury and not sure what to do.....
thanks for any advice...
Tammy

 

[Wes in Tx]

Tammy you MUST cut the nail off or he will hang it and pull it off which could cause more damage. Just clean it once or twice and day and leave him with the rest of the birds. These things happen to birds all the time and it is nothing to be scared of. If you can't cut the nail off get the S.O. to do it for you.

 

[CHILLbilly]

Thanks Wes.
Thankfully my boyfriend ( firefighter-first responder) came home and played doctor.....we cleaned and bandaged his foot. We'll take a look at the toe tommorrow..its a smaller toe so damage is minimal if we have to cut the hanging nail off.
Poor little guy, he is a trooper. He just carried on with his business....while his mama cried and cried.....

I am an over protective new mama..
and am very greatful for any advice I can get. I try to look online for info before posting to many questions.
Thanks again.

 

[dlhunicorn]

...you did not come back into chat so I am assuming you were able to get the bleeding to stop. How is your birdie today???

 

[CHILLbilly]

WE grabbed the first aid kit and used some very clean gauze to clean it up...not a gusher thank goodness......kind of oozey. I'm going to check on him in the morning. AND give him some really good treats!!!!!!
I don't have kids but i am sure i would handle their injuries alot better then this poor little guy.
I was waiting for better weather to clean his feathered feet as well. Living in northern ontario Canada sure puts a halt on doing any cleaning for months on end. I have daily pooper scoops, but those birds sure do poop alot. haha
Thats my concern with a foot injury is keeping it clean without causing stress by taking him away from his 2 other friends.
Don't want to find out any lessons the hard way.
I am going to set up a First Aid kit for them as well asap.
Be prepared instead of having an accident and running around from house to barn...and so on....
I know that most of answers on here are opinions...but I think that they are also based on experience and can be very helpful and calming.
Thanks for asking unicorn....

 

[kstaven]

In a pinch flour or corn starch can be used to stop a bleeding nail.