We picked up 3 white Silkies on Friday from our feed store. They had hatched and and shipped the day before. Once home in our brooder one of them started picking at the toes of our same aged black australorps. She was pecking to the point of dragging the poor babies around the brooder. I got her to stop that bevavior, or so I thought but today I observed her attacking her own toes. It is like she hobbles her own self and then screams that someone had her foot!
Has anyone else observed this type of Silkie behavior?
I have an OCD spunky Black Silkie that has lost toenails and toes. She digs/scratches so hard she tore her toes and made them bleed. We had to switch to plastic or plexiglass nest bottoms so she wouldn't splinter or wreck her toes. When she scratches hard in the dirt, it is soft enough not to injure her. But on wood floor coops or nestboxes we have to use other harder surfaces to keep her from injuring herself and picking at the blood on the toes. The vet said the outer toes are not as important as the inner toes for scratching and foraging and didn't seem worried about it. Here's a couple pics of her shorter outer or missing toes/toenails. These OCD types need a lot of entertainment and if other chicks is all they have to occupy their spunky time that's who they'll pick on. We free-range our birds in the backyard all day so there are no confinement issues and lots of space to run around.
Only 2 front toes on one foot and half an outer toe missing on the other foot and a misshaped rear toenail that never grew back straight after being ripped.
She doesn't have issues standing or running with a missing toe.
Only two front toes on the Black Silkie.
Spunky Black Silkie picks up spider webs and things in her "hair." She has only two front toes on one foot.
The missing toes or toenails don't slow her down one bit!
