What to do? Chick with dangling TOE!

[bowiebenson]

I just had a chick hatch that is a silkie RIR cross... it ended up having 4 normal toes and one abnormal on each foot.... on where the normal silkie would have the two upward pointing toes there are two but one is dangling by a small piece of skin that is weird... like it is dangling by the web but the bone for the toe never developed.... I'll post a picture.

I just see this as something that will easily get caught on stuff. is it somethingyou can snip or shoud i just let what is going to happen... happen? I don't want it to bleed to death..... im calling it DANGLES!

Any help with my mutant?

 

[crystalchik]

Wow thats so weird!! Poor baby! I would say just take a sharp cuticle cutter or scissor, sterilize it and snip it off. It doesnt look like it has much blood flow at all and hardly, if any, nerves. It would be better than having it rip off. And it doesnt look like it has enough blood flow to keep it alive so it will probably just end up dying. Just bandage his little tootsie after, he should be okay.
Best of luck!
Let us know how he does!

 

[slackwater]

I vote cut it off. Like PP said, prob won't bleed much. Do you have any styptic powder on hand?

 

[bowiebenson]

It's kind of creepy! When i pick him up his little legs flail and i can't look at them fly around... eeeewwwwweee ahhhh! if i let him walk in my hand the little dangles tickle.... I'm creeped out.. something will have to be done!

 

[bowiebenson]

No powder.... maybe I should invest in some.... it's freaking me out.... i think it is tormenting me!

 

[empireranch]

I am only one week into being a chicken owner however, I do see the "quick" in the chick's nail on the dangling toe, so there is blood flow there - I would wait and see if it is a problem for the chick before doing anything drastic.

 

[bowiebenson]

Yeah, I want it gone but I'm too afraid ill hurt him..... if the othe chicks pick at the toes i may have to cut or just wrap them up and see....