Nail Cutting

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KathJ
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Nail Cutting

Post by KathJ »

Is it OK to cut a chicken's nails? We noticed one of our older girl's toe was bleeding last night and when I picked her up her nails are quite long so we wondered if she's bent it back or caught it on something when scratching about.
Kath xx

Mum to my beautiful girls Lucy, Holly, Rosie, Hettie, Polly, Ruby, Lily, Penny, Gracie, Maisie, Molly, Evie and my gorgeous boy Toby

RIP my beautiful Ranger, Roxy, Bluebelle, Poppy, Speckle, Daisy and Honey xxxx

Gwenoakes
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Re: Nail Cutting

Post by Gwenoakes »

Sorry I have no idea, but will be interested in the answer from more knowledgeable people.
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KarenE
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Re: Nail Cutting

Post by KarenE »

Yes you can trim their nails but you have to be careful you don't cut where the blood vessels are, so maybe trim a bit at a time. Do they have anything they can file their nails down on, like a paving stone? Digging usually helps too. Sandy might be able to give practical advice - I've never needed to trim claws, but she has during rescues I think
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
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Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
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bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: Nail Cutting

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

Hi , I have had them cut by myself and by a vet.
They do curl round and stick into the claw pads.
It is easy with two people one holding the other cutting with nail clippers.
Also clue . Not sure what sort as if you do cut to much the vet put some on the end.
Check what one is safe to use .
Do not panic it is pretty safe and better shorter nails than long . Boys need them cut as they cat damage the hens jumping all over them . I got a 150 pound plus vet bill for Sam due to that.
Let us know how you get on.
Bob
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KathJ
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Re: Nail Cutting

Post by KathJ »

Thanks both. They're not so long that they're curling round, we did use the nail clippers to cut a little bit off last night so we'll see how she goes as there was no more bleeding. They do have some paving slabs in the run and are always digging.
Kath xx

Mum to my beautiful girls Lucy, Holly, Rosie, Hettie, Polly, Ruby, Lily, Penny, Gracie, Maisie, Molly, Evie and my gorgeous boy Toby

RIP my beautiful Ranger, Roxy, Bluebelle, Poppy, Speckle, Daisy and Honey xxxx
Freeranger
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Re: Nail Cutting

Post by Freeranger »

If you look sideways at a claw against the light, you can see a dark part close to the foot and then the lighter part towards the end. The dark part is the bit with the blood vessels and to be avoided. The way I do it is to wrap the hen up in a towel so the wings can't flap, and which subdues her, then tuck her under one arm. We have a claw cutting device for our cats that we use (a bit like a cigar cutter/wire stripper, and can be bought from pet shops) but I think a human nail clipper might work well. I was very nervous the first time in case I hurt them, but started very gingerly taking little by little, and did just a light trim until I gained confidence. If you do accidentally nick the blood vessel then obviously it's an infection risk, so bathe with salt water.
There was a thread on this subject a long time ago, and others stemmed any bleeding with some kind of powder that I can't remember. It was a very informative thread so worth searching it out. Probably also worth googling the nail structure so you can see how to avoid problems. It's a lot easier than you might worry it would be.

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