silkie cut up/missing toe

[coltsfoot]

Hey all,

I have a silkie, about 2 years of age, that I noticed tonight was bleeding from her foot. The foot appeared to have a missing toe, like it had been injured and she pecked it off, the nail was gone and all the meat around where the toe should have been was missing. How can I treat this? We wrapped the bleeding part with some gauze as a temporary fix for the night but not expecting this to last. Will try to post pictures tomorrow...

thank you

cf

 

[Frost Homestead]

wash it well with some betadine, apply neosporin or some other antibiotic ointment and wrap it with either vet wrap if you have it. or you can use gauze with a little bit of duct tape on the outside to hold it on. clean the area every couple days and reapply a clean bandage. I would separate her from any other birds too so she doesn't get picked on while she's healing

 

[coltsfoot]

great. thanks so much frosthazard

 

[Frost Homestead]

hope she feels better soon!

 

[azygous]

Is your coop rodent-proof? If a rat could get into the silkie coop, it would be a likely candidate for chewing off a toe. I think that's more likely than a hen chewing off her own toe.

Rats can casually nibble on all parts of a silkie, including the face, and the silkie will do nothing whatsoever to prevent it.

 

[drumstick diva]

I am thinking rats also(ugh) do you have your birds with wire flooring? Makes it easy for a rat to reach up and get whatever sticks thru the wires. Poor thing, keep her isolated till she heals. If it was from a rat bite maybe antibiotic is indicted (I doubt it would hurt in any case). Keep her wound clean. Maybe flush with betadine or saline and then apply neosporine oint. I don't know if wrapping her foot(to keep clean) would make it better or worse. Someone smarter than me is sure to come along soon.

 

[coltsfoot]

Thanks everyone I really appreciate your responses. I'll let you know how it goes...