prettychic Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I think my Marge has lost 2 back nails, i know 1 defiantly gone, looks red & a tiny bit swollen.. But im starting to think maybe all my ladies nails are too long. Me being new to chickens I thought they were ok. Could i be cheeky & ask if other members could put pics up of their chickens feet so i know how long, is to long? Im startin to worry as dont want all their nails to fall off all responses will be much appreciated x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 If your chooks free-range then they are highly unlikely to have too long nails. It's not a good idea to start cutting them unless you know what you're doing (no offence meant) as the quick extends quite far down the nail and it;s easy to draw blood. It isn't unusual for them to catch a claw and tear it - one of mine ripped her whole nail out a couple of years ago and it was pretty gruesome with blood everywhere. I bathed it in warm salty water and then sprinkled it with veterinary wound powder. Kept her away from the others until the bleeding stopped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prettychic Posted May 24, 2008 Author Share Posted May 24, 2008 Hi There! Theirs nils are nearly 1cm long, is that to long? x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 Sounds fine to me, but you can't really tell without seeing the bird. As I said, it is highly unlikely that they need clipping, especially if they freerange or are on hard-standing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
