overgrown nails

[jadenthechicken]

my rooster and hen each have over grown nails... im not sure what to do i cant put them in the other cage on the ground because my bantam hen has chicks. ( the rooster and the hen who has the chicks are japanese white black tailed bantams and the other hen with the rooster who has overgrown nails is a silver hamburg.) Do i clip their nails?

 

[teach1rusl]

Yes, you can clip them with fingernail clippers. Just don't clip them too short or you'll hit the quick and it'll bleed quite a bit (like if you clip a dogs nails too short). You can also clip the tips of beaks if they become overgrown...

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know why you want to trim them, but you can.. If they are overgrown to the point that they are causing problems such as they have trouble walking, all you want to do is strip some of the excess off. You don't need to go all the way back to the quick. If you just trim them back some, not try to take them back all the way, they probably won't even bleed.

I've used a Dremel tool with those disks you use to cut metal. I just wrap the bird in a towel to keep it calm and trim them off. It usually doesn't get bloody at all, but it is probably a good idea to have a small amount of flour on hand in case it does bleed. You can stop the bleeding by just throwing a little flour on it.

As long as you don't hit the quick, which is at the base of the claw, the chicken will not react at all when you do it. It doesn't feel a thing, just like you trimming your fingernails.

 

[JumpingMouse]

My polish chicken Cruella is in desperate need of a pet-e-cure then X ) don't judge but we are guilty of full on painting our chickens toenails here

 

[jadenthechicken]

haha cute i do that to mine!!

 

[Sylvestor12]

If you use fingernail clippers, you might want to fine-tune it by using a nail filer, especially with the rooster so that you don't scratch the hens up.