Torn pad on toe

[wefroggy]

My husband was feeding the chickens last night when he noticed there was some blood on the feeder, not much and he couldn't find anything wrong.
i was away and when I got home and checked on the chickens I noticed one hen has a torn pad under her toe. The scales around the toe look like they have been picked a bit, but no one is bothering her at all. I watched them for several minutes.
She has found a quiet place to roost and is acting ok. I cleaned her foot, put antibiotic cream on it and tried to wrap it, but of course the tape is not sticking and I am worried that putting tape on the toe will draw more attention to it.
Her foot is feeling a bit warm and there is nothing i can do until tomorrow, Any suggestions?

 

[Judy]

I'd separate her and put her in a sort of dark place to keep her off it, keep it clean, and keep her quiet. That way she won't need a dressing for now. If it doesn't really look healed tomorrow, you might get some of that Vet Wrap, I think it's called, and wrap starting at the toe and going up around the ankle. That should stay put better. Then she could probably go back out. She should heal quickly.

I had one with a pecked place on top of a foot that was bloody and was being attacked; found it early in the morning. I actually let him back with the flock that night. Wish I healed that fast.

Vet Wrap is that brightly colored stuff that sticks to itself, has no glue on it. You can buy the same thing in the drug store, for people.

 

[wefroggy]

Thanks,
She seems to what to do on her own it seems. She is in a dark corner roosting. Now that I know I can get the wrap at a drug store I will run in and get it now.
Thanks again!

 

[wefroggy]

Update on the torn pad. I wrapped it in the human vet wrap stuff. I had a small wire cage that I used for my rabbits so I put that in the corner of the hen house and blocked the sides.
The chicken spent the night in there and when I took her out the next day she limped around, more due to the bandage than the injury, and then promptly went back in the cage and laid down.

Today I changed her dressing, which caused it to bleed again, so I re wrapped it, cleaned up her cage and she was very happy to settle in again.
She spent the day in there and the others are jealous I think. We shall see tomorrow.