toes

[NikShrout]

New chicken mama here. This morning I noticed that my Amerucana hen has a toenail/claw that is broken and sticking up. it is firmly attached though and not bleeding. Should I trim it off or leave it alone? She is definitely not herself. She stayed in the run when I let them out and stayed laying down and let me pick her up with no fussing! Definitely not herself.

 

[azygous]

Your hen is acting this way because the toe hurts like crazy.

Prepare for surgery. Don't worry. It won't amount to much for either you or your hen. But preparing will make it easy peasy.

Get a small bowl and fill it with cold water and ice cubes. Get a small amount of corn starch or flour in a small dish. The first is for numbing the toe and the second is to stop bleeding. Locate some small pliers to grasp the toenail. Locate a towel and some Vetericyn or Betadine.

Next wrap your hen securely in the towel so wings are confined. Dip her foot with the torn nail in the ice water for about a minute, then quickly take up the pliers and work the nail loose and lift off. Then dip the toe in the corn starch to stop any bleeding. If it continues to bleed, take a cloth and press hard on the toe tip, applying direct pressure for one full minute. That should halt the bleeding.

Spray with Vetericyn or Betadine and the hen is then good to go back to her pals, now pain free and back to her normal life.

 

[NikShrout]

Thank you! Prepping for surgery now...ugh.