Pedicure needed for chicks?

[ninafe]

Hello! I started my four pullets on puppy pads for about 1.5 weeks because they kept eating the pine shavings. And that resulted in quite a bit of poop stuck on their tiny feet. I cleaned them a few times and then switched to pine shavings. Most of the poop stuck fell off but I noticed there still is very hard poo that stuck under/around several of their nails. I tried to use a soft and wet tissue to pull them off but it didn't work. My question is- do I need to give them a foot bath and try to get the poop off? Or am I being a helicopter mom and it's totally unnecessary?

 

[Kiki]

Pictures of the feet please?
Clear photos.

 

[ninafe]

Pictures of the feet please?
Clear photos.

Here you go! The first pic is one of my chicks. In case it's not clear enough, I found a pic on google that looks EXACTLY like what's going on with my chicks.

 

[ninafe]

Pictures of the feet please?
Clear photos.

Also- You are in houston too!!! Which area are you in??

 

[swamphiker]

Here you go! The first pic is one of my chicks. In case it's not clear enough, I found a pic on google that looks EXACTLY like what's going on with my chicks.

View attachment 3054771View attachment 3054772

Thanks for including good photos. Personally I wouldn't worry about too much it if it's not causing the chicks any issues and I would keep a good eye on it to make sure their feet aren't getting irritated, but perhaps I am being to laid-back about it and I'm interested to hear others thoughts.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Might need to soak the feet in lukewarm water to get those off. I'd try to remove them as they can get problematic if they don't come off on their own, like chicks can get sores on their feet and toes from poop accumulation.

 

[Mom of the hateful eight]

How do you soak a chicks feet in water? They never want to stop moving, and they seem to really not like it when they come out of their brooder.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How do you soak a chicks feet in water? They never want to stop moving, and they seem to really not like it when they come out of their brooder.

They probably won't like it. I've never tried soaking a chick's feet but as a precaution I think a very shallow amount of water would be best (either in a stopped up sink, or a basin) and they would have to be held in place while soaking.

With adults it's pretty safe to just put them in a bin with some water, cover it, and they'll patiently stand there.