Chicken has lost a claw - what should I do?

[Curlykale]

When I was getting my girlies in last night I saw that one of them was dripping blood everywhere. On closer inspection it looked as though she has lost one of her
claws. I dipped it in flour to try and stop the bleeding then put them to bed. She didn't seem distressed at all. I have just got them up now and although the bleeding has stopped it is obviously bothering her. She came out of her house and walked around a bit - when she is walking she isn't limping but when she stands still she holds her foot up. She isn't interested in her food (she is usually the greedy one) and has gone back into her house. I was thinking of spraying it with the stuff I use for the kids (Savlon antiseptic spray) - is this ok or do I need a special antiseptic for birds/animals? I gave her some sweetcorn to encourage her to feed; she had a bit but wasn't really interested. Can anyone advise me what I should do? Does she need to go to the vet?

[Aberdeenplotter]

if you are worried about her, you know the answer without anyone telling you.

Might have been an idea to spray with antiseptic before dipping the foot in flour.

Excuse my sense of humour now. Your hen probably thought she was in KFC with being dipped in flour and your hen won't be deliberately lifting her foot. Must have been SR flour you used..

Hope you get your chook sorted.

[WendyC]

Don't know anything about chickens but if I am unsure if other pets need to see the vet I usually just give them a phone call first. They'll have seen it lots of times before and be able to put you right. Sounds sore though.

[Nicos]

Personally I'd spray her foot with purple spray as it's antiseptic and importantly disguises the colour of blood so the other chooks won't be tempted to peck at it.

Not sure of the difference between purple spray and Savlon spray- I presume they both contain iodine.
( can you let us know if you find out???)

I'm sure she'll be fine without having to box her up and take her to the vets.

Can you keep her somewhere where the ground isn't muddy whilst it heals?

[petal]

Nicos is right, purple spray and place her in a clean area to recover, its probably bruised too. a little scrambled egg to tempt her appetite- give her a few days and wait and see.

[Nicos]

Nicos is right

..that's because of all the advice I've picked up on here!...thank you!

[Curlykale]

Hi everyone, thanks for all your advice. An update for you - I was quite worried about my girlie this morning as she started bleeding again and was just hiding in her house looking very sorry for herself. I phoned the vet and they said to take her in this afternoon. I had to go to work this morning and when I got home this afternoon to take her to the vets she looked a bit better - the bleeding had stopped again and she had eaten a bit but still looked miserable. Anyway, I took her to the vet who said it did look quite nasty; she cleaned the wound with Hibiscrub and gave me some to bring home (Nicos, I asked about using Savlon antiseptic spray and she said that as far as she was aware it hadn't been tested for use on birds so she wouldn't recommend it). She gave her an injection of antibiotics (she didn't even flinch, my brave little girl) and gave me some more to give her over the next four days (that is going to be a steep learning curve!). Oh, and she weighed her! Don't know why! When I brought her home I gave her some sweetcorn and mealworms then went back to work. She is now tons better and is eating as though she has been starved for a week. So I don't know whether she actually needed a trip to the vet and antibiotics or whether the result would have been the same if I had left her, but I feel better for taking her and getting her checked out. I can't find the purple spray anywhere - I've tried our local pet shops and farmers suppliers but no joy. Maybe I'll have to buy it online. Thanks again for your advice - I know I can always rely on you all to help out in a crisis! PS: Aberdeenplotter - yes I do see the funny side - my son made a similar joke (KFC) when we were dipping her in the flour!!

[Aberdeenplotter]

PS: Aberdeenplotter - yes I do see the funny side - my son made a similar joke (KFC) when we were dipping her in the flour!!

I'm glad about that, I was a bit anxious about how you would respond. I'm glad your chook seems to beon theway to recovery

[Nicos]

Glad she's improving! ( and thanks for asking! )

[MartinRSharpe]

Purple spray is available at equestrian shops usually without fail. It's brilliant stuff.

I imagine savlon spray is pretty much the same stuff but they don't want the hassle of certifying on animal x or y. The purple spay does have the advantage of hiding the blood so the other chickens don't peck at it

[scorpius]

Best one IMO, is Septicleanse. It is anti-bacterial too. If you cant get it in your local feed store (try looking in the lambing section 1st) you can get it online.

[marchogaeth]

Vet's weigh animals so that they can work out the dose rate of drugs, usually. Also, if you have to take her back they will know if she is losing weight or not.

Re Savlon. As a general rule it is a very bad idea to use human drugs on animals as they tend to be much more sensitive that we are to the chemicals in them. Most vet's can tell you horror stories about people who have given their dogs asprin/paracetemol etc when they seemed in pain. One of the most common cat admissions to vets is when people worm them with dog wormer.

Having said that iodine is iodine but it is possible there are things in Savlon cream/spray the would have irritated chicken skin that are nothing to do with its anticeptic properties.

My horse and I used the same anti-bacterial cream - same strength etc for different skin problems which flies against the general rule.

[WendyC]

I know someone who superglued a cut on their dog's back rather than getting the vet to sort it. I would assume medical glue is not superglue.

[marchogaeth]

I know someone who superglued a cut on their dog's back rather than getting the vet to sort it. I would assume medical glue is not superglue.

It is. I think the story is that the medical route is how super glue came about. A way of sticking skin that didn't need staples or stitches. I had my horse superglued back together after he wrapped himself in a gate and stripped everything off from his knee down apart from the tendon. In fact I was buying it in bulk at one point due to the horrible process involved in getting the leg back to its correct shape. For filmic reference on super glue see Dog Soldiers.

[kathyd]

I bought a bottle of purple stuff (gentian violet) online, it says 1% aqueous on the label. Am I supposed to dilute it, or use it neat?