Special Needs Chicken, Excessive Nail Growth

Tools You’ll Need for Clipping Nails

Cookie is my silkie bantam with special needs. Her toenails, of all things, grow and grow to the point where they interfere with her walking. Crazy! Once a month I wrap her in a towel, lay her in my lap on her back, and cut them with bird nail clippers.

Excessive nail growth is not all that uncommon when birds are kept on soft bedding such as shavings or sand, but Cookie is free roam. She scratches around in crushed granite and dirt all day like everyone else in the flock. I have no explanation for her absurd nail growth. But if left unattended, she’d have her very own desert snow skis, so we deal with it.
I use bird nail clippers, and Kwik Stop (Styptic Powder) which stops bleeding just in case one is cut too short. This is a powder that you apply to the nail if it’s bleeding and it will stop immediately.
If this happens, pack the powder on the end of the nail and apply pressure. Most important, don’t panic, just do your best, and if you make a mistake and cut one too short… well, that’s what styptic powder is for! Both items are available on Amazon or at your local pet/feed store.