Hey, folks.
Thanks in advance for any experience you can share with this.
We have one of our feral peas indoors recovering from frostbite. These are stray birds that took up residence on our Minnesota farm, so I am not at fault for the frostbite, but I still feel responsible for caring for the animal. This bird got frozen to the steel roof of our hayshed on New Year's Eve. He/she has been indoors since January 1. We treated the foot with epsom salt soaks, neosporin and furazaone. We gave the pea a 5-day course of amoxicillin. For a while, s/he ate pretty well and was very low key because of the pain. One toe already died back and fell off. You can see in the photos that the middle toe is in that process.
It's the end of February. We're looking at weeks in the 20s-30s with single digits likely at night. We have some of this bird's siblings in a coop with a sweeter heater available.
Where do you think we stand in terms of post-frostbite care?
There's pronounced swelling in the affected foot, which is new in the past 8-10 days. S/he's also eating very little compared to January and is clearly losing muscle and coordination from being in a (large) dog crate indoors. We have two mirrors to keep the bird company.
I know that avoiding refreezing of damaged tissue is crucial in frostbite. Is this foot still in that "damaged" phase? Is swelling in the surviving toes a natural thing or a sign of big problems? Should we wait until April to put the bird out in the coop with the other young birds? It's only rarely in the single digits at night in April.
My concern is that languishing inside is as detrimental to the long-term prognosis as being outdoors in low temps might be.
Tips? Timelines? I know that frostbite in peafowl is a thing here in the north. Anyone have a story?
Again, thanks.
- Kerri, in Minnesota, with the annual frostbitten guest
Thanks in advance for any experience you can share with this.
We have one of our feral peas indoors recovering from frostbite. These are stray birds that took up residence on our Minnesota farm, so I am not at fault for the frostbite, but I still feel responsible for caring for the animal. This bird got frozen to the steel roof of our hayshed on New Year's Eve. He/she has been indoors since January 1. We treated the foot with epsom salt soaks, neosporin and furazaone. We gave the pea a 5-day course of amoxicillin. For a while, s/he ate pretty well and was very low key because of the pain. One toe already died back and fell off. You can see in the photos that the middle toe is in that process.
It's the end of February. We're looking at weeks in the 20s-30s with single digits likely at night. We have some of this bird's siblings in a coop with a sweeter heater available.
Where do you think we stand in terms of post-frostbite care?
There's pronounced swelling in the affected foot, which is new in the past 8-10 days. S/he's also eating very little compared to January and is clearly losing muscle and coordination from being in a (large) dog crate indoors. We have two mirrors to keep the bird company.
I know that avoiding refreezing of damaged tissue is crucial in frostbite. Is this foot still in that "damaged" phase? Is swelling in the surviving toes a natural thing or a sign of big problems? Should we wait until April to put the bird out in the coop with the other young birds? It's only rarely in the single digits at night in April.
My concern is that languishing inside is as detrimental to the long-term prognosis as being outdoors in low temps might be.
Tips? Timelines? I know that frostbite in peafowl is a thing here in the north. Anyone have a story?
Again, thanks.
- Kerri, in Minnesota, with the annual frostbitten guest
