3-4 wk old chicks...2 out of 7 have something growning under their nails. It looks like a hard deposit of some kind?? It seems to be spreading. More toes and this 2nd chick now. Any ideas? I looked all over the Internet and in my Chicken Health books, but to no avail.

Karen, Is it just hardened poop? I like to use paper towels for the brand new ones, as they both soak any moisture and also dry quickly with their light. But when they are larger, I use newspaper, which must be put down clean 3 or 4 times a day. Then after a few days, I roll it all up and start with a new clean layer. If it is poop, it can usually be broken off carefully without harm to the toes. This is time to get them on shavings, as their feet will then stay clean! Otherwise, I have no clue what it could be. CJR

CJR..is paper ok with chicks? I read in a pamplet at my feed store not to use paper of any kind in the chickens cage. Is this true?

Chicks with weak legs have problems on paper. It is slick and they can't get a good grip and if they have a tendency to leg problems you will see it. I routinely use soft paper towels for the first few days, but the rubber sink or shelf liner is supposed to be the best. It looks like a mesh and is soft and flexible. You can buy it at commercial supply stores. You see it lining the produce bins of supermarkets. The soft rubbery stuff is preferred over the stiff plastic mesh.

I have seen it used in brooders and the people swear by it. When you get your birds on litter (wood shavings, rice hulls, or crushed corn cobs) you don't have the problem of poop balling up on the ends of their toes. A few days on paper is all you need. All the chicks that are going to eat have found the food by this time and won't confuse the litter with something to fill up on.

We routinely start our chickens on litter. We place the feed in large plastic trays (around 15 X 24 inches) with two trays per 100 chicks.

Thank you everyone.