Brahmas

[fartoomany]

Can anyone offer advise..approximately a month a go I purchased 3 fully gown brahmas, 2 lemon Pyle and one cuckoo. 2of the birds since they arrived have run about and are interested in life(I keep them in a different environment to their previous home) but one bird-one of the Lemon Pyle, keeps sitting or lying down all the time. She comes out of the house as normal in the morning, has food, water etc then goes and lies down and looks very sorry for herself. She walks very similar at times to John clease in the monty Python sketch, she really picks her feet up?
I have looked at her feet, she did have a broken feather which had bled and gone a bit yuk, I cleaned this up and put a antiseptic spray on. On inspection of her feet compared to the other 2, she has really really long feathers, they look very uncomfortable, the quill(think that's the correct term)is very long and hard with the feathers at the end, she appears to have 2 hard long feathers coming out of one area? I think she lies down as her feet are painful, I have looked on the bottom of her feet, and they look ok, her nails are also very long. The other 2 hens have mass of feathered feet, short nails, but they are soft and fluffy, so don't have any problem in walking.
What if anything can I do to help make her life more comfortable?

 

[chrismahon]

The only thing I can suggest is trimming the feathers and the nails Fartoomany. You will have to be very careful to avoid the blood filled area of the feathers and the quick of the nails. Perhaps a job for an experienced vet I think? We often have to trim nails on our Leghorns because if they get too long the toe twists sideways and they can't walk properly. I use Bibb electrical wire strippers to cut nails because they cut from 4 sides and this avoids splintering. Sharp edges need filing off afterwards.

 

[fartoomany]

Thank you, I think trimming the feathers is the best option as I think when she tries to bend the foot, the feather doesn't give and causes her pain? I'm not sure how short you can go on her feathers as they are so long! Hopefully my vets will and trim her nails at the same time?

 

[chrismahon]

You can shine a torch light through the nails and feathers, but sometimes the fine blood vessels don't show up as we have found from experience Fartoomany. In that case you have to administer emergency treatment and bandage the nail to prevent infection. Best the whole exercise is done by an experienced vet. As you say, if she is having to walk on the feathers it will be a painful experience as the tendency will be to tear the scales off.

 

[Marigold]

If you've ever trimmed a dogs nails it's not so different on a chicken. You may find it easiest if someone helps you, one holding the bird and the other doing the trimming. When you pick her up, do it by restraining her legs between the fingers of one hand and putting the other arm over her wings, then lift to support her. She will soon calm down if held gently but firmly by the legs. Don't attempt to lift her by putting your hands over her wings from above or she will panic and scratch you. Probably you know all this already.
Have a damp cloth ready and get your seated helper to extend the chicken's leg and foot so you can see it. Use the damp cloth to clean up the foot and nails and leave it damp. This will enable you to see where the quick comes down to, as it will show up as a shadow in the claw, with nail growth beyond it, just as it does on a dog. I use dog nail clippers on my hens. Just position the clippers carefully a little way down beyond the end of the quick and cut gently but firmly, as fast as you carefully can in case she struggles at the wrong moment.
Feathers are similar. They too have a quick like the claws do. It's OK to cut away the fluffy or feathery part near the ends, just watch out to see you don't go too far down the shaft to where you will be able to see the quick of the feather. If it looks to you as if she has two feathers coming out from the same shaft, this may be because one of them wasn't shed properly and she is now growing another one from the same hair follicle. His would be uncomfortable and might need help and advice from a vet to deal with it safely. Do you know how old these hens are? It sounds as if the lemon pyle might be older than the others and has gone through an incomplete moult, maybe, though I'm only guessing.

 

[fartoomany]

Thank you for the information, I have clipped hens nails before, but not like hers, they are approx a good inch long - hence I may now get the assistance of a vet(the cost puts me off!) I'm not sure how old they are, I can contact the previous owner again and ask, they were such lovely hens, I didnt ask that at the time. I have contacted the previous owner to say I am concerned about one of the hens lying down all the time, but didn't hear back?
She is currently moulting, BUT her feet feathers are showing no sign of falling out?
Thanks again.

 

[Marigold]

Don't worry about the length of the nails, an inch isn't too long for you to just do it. Be careful not to trim too close to the quick, but other than that it doesn't matter how long the nails are to start with, as beyond the quick there is no feeling in them any more than in your own nails. You could always do it in a couple of stages if not certain of the effects.
To have grown such long nails, I would imagine the hen might probably be two years old at least. She may wel, be feeling under the weather because of her moult as it takes a lot of energy from a hen to grow all those new feathers. I expect her comb is quite pale at present? So long as she is eating and drinking she will be OK if there is nothing else wrong with her, but if the new birds haven't been wormed with Flubenvet in the past 4 months you should do them all now as a worm burden can pull a hen down and make her less able to cope with other health problems. Then do them every 4-6 months. Don't use herbal preparations, they won't kill worms. You'll ned to enquire from her previous owner about if and when they had Flubenvet before you bought them.
Hens usually moult in stages, and some take quite a while to work their way through all their feathers, otherwise they would be rather cold, wouldn't they? I've never kept hens with feathered feet but I would imagine you will need to give them dry conditions underfoot, especially in winter, to help prevent the feathers getting clogged with mud.

 

[fartoomany]

I am in the process of worming all my hens now(on day 2) Flubenvet, my guess is they have never been wormed before? I'll give the nail clipping ago, and yes she has a very pale comb, she keeps to herself but joins in when I give their greenery in the morning, and she eats and drinks, just feels a bit down, and with feet feathers like hers - it doesn't help?
Thanks again, I'll be back if anything changes!

 

[Marigold]

It's always good to worm them before the winter, I'm just about to do mine too. Then again in Spring, o set them up for the next busy laying season, I hope!