Toenails ripped from the nail bed will not grow back. A broken nail will grow back. As a chicken adds years, they often lose toenails. I had a hen live to nearly fourteen, and she was a heavy breed. She had lost every single toenail. It did not affect her ability and enjoyment of scratching in the dirt.Did her toenail ever grow back? This just happened to my hen - the nail is gone and I think part of her quick too. I'm so worried because she loves forranging in the woods