l_ouise Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Hiya One of my chickens, Penelope, has had a bad toe since we got her a couple of years ago being sold at pol. At first it looked a bit bent and then over time the joint looked a bit swollen but she was still walking fine so we assumed that maybe she was bought with a broken toe and it had repaired itself. It was only yesterday than we noticed her limping and now she won't even stand on it. She has it lifted at all times if she isn't walking and if she is moving then she is hobbling along. I don't want her in pain but i don't know how these get fixed when it comes to chickens... We are fond of them, but we don't want to be spending a fortune on them as they are primarily for eggs and don't feel the same about them as we do our pets. It looks to me that the toe needs to come off to give her a shot at walking comfortably. What do other chicken owner do in this situation? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Not something that you should try at home! Sounds as if she should see a vet. It could be that she has an infection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 It could be arthritic or it could be infected. Removal is pretty major stuff and expensive if you don't think of them as pets. You could initially try rest and something like Lifeguard which contains Glucosamine which may help to a degree if it is arthritic and she has knocked it. If after a few days she is no better you will have to rethink. I can understand you not thinking of them as pets and perhaps not wishing to go to great veterinary expense but she will be in some pain and if it doesn't resolve itself soon she will need some veterinary attention on humane grounds - or, if this is not an option you will need to consider culling her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlotta Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I have a Salmon Favorelle girl that I got at day-old and she has always had her fifth toe bending under her foot. It didn't give her any trouble at all until the Spring, when she started limping and it was definitely swollen from being walked on. I took her to the vet and he very-skillfully amputated it (you could barely see where it once was and only had two tiny dissolvable stitches - he'd never done a toe-ectomy (my word, not his!) on a chicken before, but did a great job!). She had it bandaged up for about 10 days and once it was off she's been better than she ever has been! I must add that Doris is totally a pet and I will admit she's my favourite... very cuddly and comes when you call her name! The bill was £65 in total (including antibiotics and anti-inflammatories afterwards and being re-dressed twice. (I think we did get a bit of a discount though as we are quite good customers!). I would say that Doris is a very calm and laid back chicken... she loved visiting the vet and loves a ride in the car. I think a less mellow chicken wouldn't have coped as well with the process! I should also stress that it was a fifth toe that she had removed and as such isn't used for walking... if yours is a front toe (or the back one) it could impede walking/scratching I guess... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
