Toe constriction on 2 week old SLW chick

[FandangoRanch]

We just noticed today that our Silver Laced Wyandotte chick has some kind of nylon string or hair wrapped around it's outermost toe. It is quite inflamed and seems like the constriction has been there for a while as it is quite embedded into the flesh. Any ideas on whether to take aggressive action or???

 

[Judy]

That's a tricky one. Since it's inflamed, and that of course is a sign it's infected, I would get it off, however I could, probably with very small scissors with a sharp point, like cuticle scissors. It will leave a wound, which hopefully would respond to simple cleansing and something like Neosporin ointment. Don't use an ointment or cream with a "caine" drug such as cetacaine, benzocaine, etc.

Sometimes people remove things like an extra toe by tying a string around it and leaving it til the finger dies and falls off. I've never seen this done and don't know how often it goes well. The inflammation indicates to me this will need more aggressive care.

 

[FandangoRanch]

Thankyou. I ended up heating a sewing needle with a lighter and poked it under attempting to burn the constricting material off. It bled a bit and then I put polysporin on it. It is still inflamed today but that is understandable. I will keep an eye on it to see if I was successful.