6-week old silkie bantam with injured foot... how to help her?

[valleymama76]

Hi there--new to the community, and a first-time chicken owner.

We have a little 6-week old silkie who started limping about 5 days ago. On inspection, we found that her right foot had been bound with hair--probably for some time, as the hair was deeply embedded around the foot and ankle. The foot was also swollen, and not moving. With patience, good lighting, tweezers, and a seam ripper, we were able to carefully remove the hair from around her foot and ankle, but we're worried that her foot is permanently damaged/deformed. We put antibiotic cream on the foot and ankle for the first 2 days.

In the past 4-5 days, we've been watching her very carefully:
- eating, drinking, hanging out with other chicks normally
- limping and only putting minimal weight on the foot
- no sign of infection so far

Is there more we could be doing to help the foot heal, or to help her stay healthy?

Thank you!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

If you have photos you wish to share they may help.

It sounds like you are doing what you can for her. You can try soaking her foot in a warm epsom salts bath to help with any swelling.