Misty : Thank you so much I love these e mails they have helped a lot...and now I have a question..??? So we had a bear incident, he dug up the fencing and went underneath (needless to say changing things up this spring) he got one poor little girl :( and hurt another, got a claw into her back and did some nerve damage to her toes. She was doing great but I went out in the morning and found her trapped outside? I think the others were not letting her in, they were picking on her badly. So I, miss softy, brought her into the house because it had rained all night and she was soaked to the bone. Made her a bed, have it all set up and she was super happy she healed up great, but still walks little funny because her toes on her one foot don't work perfectly (but she is not in pain and can walk no problem and can still perch and do the chicken things) I tried to put her with the others all healed but they attack her so bad?? So I can't put her out there? Sooo she is still in the house, I do not mind that at all she is a very good girl. She stays in bed, I have her by the slider door and when she wants outside she jumps out goes to the door and pecks at it, I let her out when she wants back in she pecks at the door. I don't mind that at all but now that it is cold out and snowy. She is adapted to the warm inside here and gets cold fast… so I am getting a sweater knitted for her (I know, I know) and I was wanting to get little booties for her too but then I heard that they don't have feeling for the cold on their feet? Is that true? Also her beak, its really growing I am guessing because she isn't outside pecking all the time??? I was wondering if I could get any tips what I could do with her beak? I was thinking like she rubs her beak on her bed a lot could I like get a soft sand paper and put it on the edge of her bed??? Then she can rub it? I clipped her nails because they were really growing too. Thank you Misty

A Birdy Booty by hen saver

My Reply : She sounds like she's got it made Beaks that become a problem for eating/drinking etc. can be gently filed as they are similar to nails but they do have live tissue so it is best to only do a little bit at a time. Your idea of sandpaper that she can use herself occasionally sounds ideal if she will use it (they usually want to wipe their beaks after anything messy so something like a little bit of porridge or yoghurt might be a good test to see if she will use the paper).

They don't feel it the same way we would but chickens do get cold feet and most do not like walking in snow/ice so it can help to clear a little area for her/them if there is snow on the ground. I had not heard of chickens wearing booties before but then found on the internet birdy booties for injured feet made by hen saver so if she has become particularly sensitive to walking in the cold they may be worth a try.