Chickens do a fairly excellent job of taking care of their hygiene. They take dust baths and preen themselves with their beaks to keep free of bugs and to stay healthy. However, have you ever heard of trimming your chickens’ nails?
For the most part, chickens are able to scratch around the yard and keep their nails naturally filed. However, I’ve noticed that after a long winter of not being able to scratch around as much (aka in MinneSNOWta), a couple of the girls’ nails needed some attention.
When to Trim Your Chicken’s Nails
I make it a habit to check each of my girls over pretty well on a regular basis. I look for healthy feathers, eyes, feet, vent, beaks, combs, etc. When I picked up my Buff Laced Polish girl, Roxanne, I noticed she had a long, curled toenail. So, I thought I’d take this opportunity to educate you guys on how I like to safely clip their nails.
I really don’t clip them often. Honestly? I hardly ever have to. But chickens with long curly toenails may have trouble walking and holding a natural foot position.
How to Trim Chicken Nails Safely
When you decide to trim a nail, you will want to avoid cutting the vein in the nail. The vein brings blood to the nail. If you cut this, it will bleed like crazy! And, if you’ve been around chickens long enough, you know they’re drawn to things like blood and will start pecking. If this happens, it’s best to get the bleeding to stop before you put the chicken back with the rest of the flock. I have read that cornstarch is helpful in getting the bleeding to stop.
You will want to stay a quarter inch or so away from the vein. The nails don't have to be super short. Again, they do a pretty good job of keeping them filed by scratching. It’s just so they are able to maintain their natural footing.
My Nail Clipping Routine
For nail trimming, I use dog nail clippers I bought at our local Runnings. They work great for chickens too!
Here’s how I clipped Roxanne’s nails:
Wrap the Chicken in a Towel: Wrapping her in a towel kept her calm and secure, preventing her from flapping around.
Locate the Vein: I carefully checked her nail to locate the vein.
Make Small Clips: I took small clips off the nail until it was at a safe length. It only took a couple of snips!
The Benefits of Wrapping in a Towel
Doing anything new with your chickens can cause stress—for both you and them. But using a towel made all the difference for me. It kept Roxanne feeling safe, secure, and still while I worked quickly. The whole process took just one minute from start to finish, and we were both calm the entire time.
Photographer: Our son, Deacon. Thanks Bud!
Have Questions?
If you have any questions about trimming your chickens’ nails, feel free to reach out! It’s really not a big deal once you’ve done it a few times!
Until next time,
--The Wing Lady