Toenail gone!

[Shezadandy]

Heard the big scream nobody wants to hear when keeping chickens - found my 15 week old pullet covered in blood in the coop. Naturally she's pure white so it looked like a murder scene.

She got a bath to get rid of the blood soaked feathers that were sure to cause an attack by the flock, and then I scrubbed both legs with Betadine surgical prep scrub.

Here's a picture after the excess was trimmed away. Planning to wrap with Neosporin/pad/vet wrap -- any better ideas?

I have blood stop powder, cornstarch and flour, though the bleeding has slowed way down-

Suggestions for improved plan?

Here's a picture:

 

[Eggcessive]

Torn off nails are very painful for a week or two. Once the bleeding is stopped I would just keep it covered until it starts to dry up and heal. I prefer to put betadine on feet since ointment becomes a magnet for dirt. The ointment is fine for the time it is covered, then take it off in a couple of days, and let it dry out. The nail will not grow back, but I have a hen who got through this just fine. She might like being confined to a dog crate in the coop for a day or two, near her own food and water.

 

[boskelli1571]

I'm with Eggcessive! Good plan

 

[Shezadandy]

Thank you both! I can only imagine how much that hurt- though the chicken scream gives some idea. It was a good day to be home.

I used a sterile pad to wrap the area, then some rolled gauze, and topped it off with vetwrap. I used some Elastikon to cover the tip of the nail in-between vetwrap layers (that's the lighter stuff you see at the tip)- far enough out that it won't touch the wound but will seal it off from getting debris under the bandage.

We're in muddy season here in Oregon- so I put her in with the oldest group of chicks in the bedroom coop. If I put her out in the main area there's no way it stays on- just a fact of life in early spring.

I'll probably re-wrap it tonight to ensure the bleeding has stopped completely. Thanks for the tip on using betadine once she's done with the wrapping stage. Hopefully she'll continue to get along with the littles so she's not stuck in the dog crate!


Thanks again! I'll post again once we've made some progress.

 

[Shezadandy]

** UPDATED PICTURE **

After a couple days in the dog crate, I removed the bandage today. Looks pretty decent, considering-- I've rewrapped it for now as she's still acting sore when she walks, but improving.

 

[boskelli1571]

** UPDATED PICTURE **

After a couple days in the dog crate, I removed the bandage today. Looks pretty decent, considering-- I've rewrapped it for now as she's still acting sore when she walks, but improving.

Looking good! A few more days and she should be completely healed

 

[Shezadandy]

Looking good! A few more days and she should be completely healed

Thank you! Thankfully she's looking bright and she's starting to scratch around tentatively with the bandage on. Figure I'll remove it Sunday and paint with just iodine and see how she looks then.