Limping chicken: lost its middle "toe nail"

[nmayhew]

hello all,

one of my light sussex (about 22 ish weeks) was hobbling this afternoon, and on closer inspection i saw that she had lost all / most of her middle "toe nail" (difficult to see exactly what remains because they never let me get near them).

she is limping noticeably but still trundling around, eating and drinking.

is this normal for chickens to have this / do this?

they free range most of the time across yard (gravel), field entrance and amongst bushes and trees.

i felt particularly sorry for her because i think she laid her first egg only yesterday!

should i whisk her straight to the vet you think?

thanks,

Nick

[Glutton4...]

She may have caught the claw in something, and strained the toe. She'll probably be fine tomorrow, but I'd keep an eye on her. Fingers crossed.

Several of my Ex-Batts have wonky toes, some are obviously badly healed breaks, which I'd guess received no treatment at the time. They all walk perfectly well, with the exception of one who 'goose-steps' as she cannot curl her toes when she walks!

[RichmondHens]

Inspect her at night - you can just pick her off the roost and have a look and assess the damage then. The main thing is to see if the injury is likely to get infected. Give it a wash to get any crud off so you can see what you are dealing with. If it is just a broken claw it will heal itself. If the claw has been pulled out (she may have caught it in something) then there is a risk of infection so wash out well with salt water and if you have any antiseptic spray give it a good dose. If the toe is actually broken she won't be using the foot at all so if she is just limping chances are it is a fairly minor injury.

[Bramble-Poultry]

chickens can lose toes quite regularily. obviously if they lose all their toes then scratching is a real issue fo rthem but the odd nail isnt a problem. keep your eyes on it to ensure that its not still bleeding (if so dip the bleeding toe nail into some cornflour or styptic powder as this will stem the bleeding). if you have some "purple" spray, put a bit on her foot to stop any infection occuring.

[nmayhew]

thanks all - i'll keep a close eye

i have some blue / purple spray that i use for sheep (foot rot etc) which, if i can "do a Rocky" and catch her, i will use!

[nmayhew]

update: Snowdrop is up and about with the rest of them, and her limp is much better than last night.

N

[Awerealis]

Aloe vera to the rescue

My dear hen Spot'spot (Spotted Chook) has lost both her middle talons to goodness knows what - I suspect the neighbour's evil moggie for jumping the fence - but the real reason is not important. ALOE VERA CACTUS is the best anti-septic and regenerative agent of all. Spot spot got a DOT of it to help her with her toes, and I agree the BEST time to get chickens unawares, is right from the roost several hours after dark - just hold your hens feet gently but firmly in one hand, use your other hand to pet her, reassure her, and ultimately, administer the gel topically to the injured areas of her body. I use ALOE VERA GEL in the food and on the skin of myself, and all my livestock and pets, most directly whenever they appear to have incurred abrasions to their skin, or acquired infections in their crevices and orifices. Works every time, and I grow it myself too. It's a cactus, it loves sun and water (two most essential things to life). I live in Brisbane Australia and it's easy to grow all kinds of temperate, tropical and desert plants here. Maybe if your vet has only that dastardly purple-spray, you might want to think more ORGANICALLY, and visit your health food shop instead for a bottle of good quality aloe vera gel ?! Thanks this conversation helped me out lots with dear Ms Spot. Another vet bill, naturally avoided, is a really great thing! YAY

[Aberdeenplotter]

update: Snowdrop is up and about with the rest of them, and her limp is much better than last night.

N

Wonder if our Missus Piskieboots is aware Snowdrop has gone limp?