Trimmed curved nail, now she is having trouble walking

[tcfoster]

I had been noticing that my Barnevelder hen Samantha was spending a lot of time sitting and was walking very cautiously. I thought maybe she had a bumble but when I looked closer I noticed that her middle nails were very long and twisting around and it seemed like that was giving her trouble walking and roosting. So, last night we cleaned her feet and trimmed the nails. This morning she was having more trouble walking and all the hens started to attack her - she is at the very bottom of the pecking order normally and this just made it worse. Now she is secluded in her own area but isn't wanting to stand up or walk around. Could I have done more damage by trimming the nails? Did it throw off her balance? Not sure what to do. Thanks everyone!

 

[pozees2]

Can you post pictures of her feet from multiple angles, including pictures of the bottoms of her feet? Did you trim the nails until they bled, or just the ends where there was no blood? Is she eating and drinking? If the problem is really just a need for her to regain her footing, so to speak, you can try giving her something with some grip and give to walk on to strengthen her toes and legs, like some peat moss, preferably moistened and then squeezed out so it's damp but not gushy/dripping. My concern would be that she has an underlying health issue, which is what usually catalyzes other flock members trying to remove the weakest one.

 

[tcfoster]

Here's a bunch of photos, we just trimmed the ends and not into the quick. However one of the nails (the middle one on her right foot) did bleed a tiny bit. I haven't seen her drink water yet but she did have some food and her poops are normal. I also was wondering if she might have an underlying health issue. Thank you!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

The one that bled wad the over grown one right? Quick lengthen as the nail lengthens so they have to be trimmed little by little over a few weeks (my experience). If she's had that nail for a while, her toe might have been twisted slightly too to support it. Now that the nail is normal, she needs to reposition how she puts weight on her toe which will probably be rather uncomfortable for a few days

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I had been noticing that my Barnevelder hen Samantha was spending a lot of time sitting and was walking very cautiously. I thought maybe she had a bumble but when I looked closer I noticed that her middle nails were very long and twisting around and it seemed like that was giving her trouble walking and roosting. So, last night we cleaned her feet and trimmed the nails. This morning she was having more trouble walking and all the hens started to attack her - she is at the very bottom of the pecking order normally and this just made it worse. Now she is secluded in her own area but isn't wanting to stand up or walk around. Could I have done more damage by trimming the nails? Did it throw off her balance? Not sure what to do. Thanks everyone!

How old is she?
Does she lay eggs - when did she last lay an egg?
Any swelling of the abdomen between the legs below the vent?
Crop empty in the morning?

I do not believe the nail trimming has anything to do with her having trouble.

Also when you can - get a look in the pockets of the foot please.

 

[tcfoster]

Thanks for your reply.

- She is approximately 5-6 years old. We have had her for 2.5 years and I got her from a neighbor who said she was around 2 but I don't know exactly if that was accurate. She could possibly be older.

-She lays very rarely. It's been several weeks since she laid an egg, maybe even a month.

-Abdomen and vent look normal, crop is empty in the morning. Her comb looks healthy. She eats and drinks, but she weighs considerably less than my other 2 Barnies, who are the same age. We got all 3 of them from the same neighbor, and the other 2 lay a little more frequently.

-She is the very bottom of the pecking order, even under the 2 new Easter Eggers that we added to the flock in December.

-I will look closer at her feet.

 

[tcfoster]

The one that bled wad the over grown one right? Quick lengthen as the nail lengthens so they have to be trimmed little by little over a few weeks (my experience). If she's had that nail for a while, her toe might have been twisted slightly too to support it. Now that the nail is normal, she needs to reposition how she puts weight on her toe which will probably be rather uncomfortable for a few days

Yep that was the one that bled. And yes I think you are right about her toe being twisted. She is in a secure secluded area right now but after reading these other replies I'm worried something else might be wrong with her.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Has she been getting enough food being in the bottom of the pecking order?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

approximately 5-6 years old

She lays very rarely. It's been several weeks since she laid an egg, maybe even a month.

With her age and laying rarely, not being able to roost and having trouble walking/roosting, not wanting to stand and is being attacked - I would be inclined to say she's got some type of reproductive problem going on.

I would try to get her hydrated. If you have them, give her a direct dose of poultry vitamins. Once she's drinking, offer her a bit of wet feed.

 

[pozees2]

Here's a bunch of photos, we just trimmed the ends and not into the quick. However one of the nails (the middle one on her right foot) did bleed a tiny bit. I haven't seen her drink water yet but she did have some food and her poops are normal. I also was wondering if she might have an underlying health issue. Thank you!

You did a really good job getting these pictures! Really a guessing game at this point, but you can do things that will do no harm and may do some good for her, especially give the fact her weight seems low compared to the others the same breed and age. If you can get a fecal float done to see if there are internal parasites I would do that, but I know a lot of vets don't offer the service for chickens, so if that isn't an option, consider treating for internal parasites. I've seen several options for doing that, and you can probably find them all here at BYC, but my default is always to go with whatever product(s) and dosage(s) recommended by @casportpony. I, personally, find using pour-on ivermectin, 4-6 drops at the base of the neck (depending on the weight/size of the bird - 4 for bantams, 5-6 for most large fowl has worked for me), and repeat in 7-10 days, has been low stress for both birds and me, and seems to treat a plethora of parasites. You could also offer her some cooked egg and/or plain yogurt as a healthy treat which may boost her general health, and vitamins and/or electrolytes in her water in case she is low on something or just needs the extra help.