Sunday, February 26, 2012

Manicure #2

Most people would never bother to wonder if chickens like having their claws trimmed. If you by chance are one of the few who do, let us tell you...........They dont. Thanks to a recent article in "Chickens" magazine (March/ April 2012 issue), we learned a super useful technique for trimming their claws without drawing blood and unleashing coop cannibalism. The trick is to shine a flashlight through the claw to see where the "quick" (the vein in the claw nail) stops. Once you try it, you can see it clear and distinct, and see exactly where to cut. It worked like a charm. The flock is now neatly manicured and their scary, t-rex-like claws are back under control.

Having your flock living in a coop that is surfaced with pine shavings on top of linoleum doesnt allow for the natural wearing down of the claws that would otherwise take place from scratching around in dirt. We learned that we have to pay extra attention to claws getting too long, and the price for negligence is a not-so-happy time spent trying to hold onto a flapping, flailing chicken while your assistant tries to cut the wickedly overgrown claws without injury to chicken or human. As usual, after a generous serving of treats, all is forgiven....


4 comments:

  1. Hello.I have been following your posts...Most people say the dust and dander of chickens is huge..Do you find that so? mine are in the garage..I am told they are not allowed in the small town we live in..my neighbor has gotten three chicks..I am going to put them outside,if i get caught they will be coming indoors in basement.Are you having in problems with yours indoors?

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  2. so I see you have not posted since 2012... how is your chicken project going? I have just recently moved 2 of my girls inside and I will be moving soon and want to keep them with me. you see I live in an RV and my husband is incarcerated, so when he gets moved I follow...
    I also have a blog and I know that times gets away from you occasionally, so I will watch for updates.
    god Bless and thanks for the information on keeping the girls inside...
    diana

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  4. I was just wondering the same thing the other day! Would I have to clip my little ones nails when he got older? I haven't seen many stories of ppl in my current situation. I have absolutely no other chicks beside my little Phoenix, he was the only chick that hatched after the when went missing. As I was the first and only person it laid eyes on, and there were no other chicks, I took him home with me. He will not let me leave his sight. We go on daily outings, digging for bugs, and learning how to be a chicken. Only problem is, he doesn't think he's a chick. I'm totally at a loss and we just love day to day, he currently goes everywhere I go and screams bloody murder when I leave his sight lol. He will be 5 weeks old this up coming Sunday and hasn't even all his wing feathers yet, am I stunting his growth??? I don't want to hurt him, he's such a sweet little guy ❤

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