Amputating A Roosters Foot?

[SkyWolf]

Today my best friend gave me a rooster who seems to need his foot amputated. My best friend visited his girlfriend’s grandparents and found that one of their roosters had been fit by a car a few weeks back. His foot was barely attached, looked nasty, and seemed dead. The grandparents didn’t plan to try and heal the bird, or put him down. So my best friend convinced them to hand the bird over to me temporarily. Under closer inspection it seems his foot isn’t completely dead, but is dying. He can’t move it and it is stiff. At the break point it moves in ways unnatural, meaning the book is definitely broken. It seems dead dried tissue and scabs are the only thing keeping it attached. The foot is also cold to the touch. I plan to bath the foot tomorrow morning, but it already seems like I will have to amputate it as the foot will die. I’ve never amputated before, but we do not have any vets in the area who we can have do it instead. I’m busy all day with fair until Monday, only have morning and night when I can help him. So I’d really appreciate any advice, tips, or opinions that anyone has in this matter. I want to help him, and it seems if the foot stays he will have a slow death. If I amputate he could live, but if he dies (bleeds out or something, I don’t know) then at least he will be put out of his misery. He doesn’t seem to be in pain for now, just not walking on it.
I will link pictures below. After I wash it I will do an update. If I can’t bath him in the morning, my sibling will bath him that afternoon.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Going to harsh on you a bit, and some may disagree...

The Grandparents had the right idea, the foot will eventually auto-amputate.
If this rooster is able to get around with his flock, eat/drink, etc. then I'd take him back to where he belongs.

No, to cutting/amputating, do you know how? Do you have antibiotics? If so, what kind?
Amputation can be done by a Vet if you don't want the natural process to take care of itself.

 

[Insnesnakos]

Poor rooster. His foot might fall off on its own.

 

[SkyWolf]

I have antibiotics, a few kinds and can buy other ones if need be for the occasion. I have never done amputation on a chicken, only sheep tails. I have looked into how to do it on a chicken, I was just hoping for the most about of info as possible. His foot seems sort of infected, as it was never cleaned after the accident. I’m really nervous to cut anything, as that seems risky. However, my current plan is likely that I will put a rubber band right above the swelling and hope it falls off fairly naturally. Same thing you do with sheep tails pretty much. Letting it fall off on its own time isn’t a bad idea, but I’m super concerned with it being all nasty.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have antibiotics, a few kinds and can buy other ones if need be for the occasion. I have never done amputation on a chicken, only sheep tails. I have looked into how to do it on a chicken, I was just hoping for the most about of info as possible. His foot seems sort of infected, as it was never cleaned after the accident. I’m really nervous to cut anything, as that seems risky. However, my current plan is likely that I will put a rubber band right above the swelling and hope it falls off fairly naturally. Same thing you do with sheep tails pretty much. Letting it fall off on its own time isn’t a bad idea, but I’m super concerned with it being all nasty.

Is there a bad odor? If not, then it's not infected.

Did you read that something like this will usually auto-amputate? If you leave it alone, very likely that's what will happen.
You start messing around with that foot, you may just likely send him into shock.

Docking a sheep's tail is not the same as cutting a chicken bone. I would not put a rubber band around anything.

Letting it fall off on it's own is a very good idea. That's what people do when birds have severe frostbite, the toes and/or foot will eventually fall off on their own.

I'd take him back to his owner's and let them make a decision of what to do with him.

Sounds like you have school/fairs/etc. - a lot going on, so perhaps it's best for him to go back with his flock.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Id just cull it not worth the time to try and fix it

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree with Wyorp Rock, I would just leave it alone to let it self-amputate. Nature has a way of taking care of things itself. With frostbite on toes and feet in the winter, many come here and ask about amputating. It can happen on its own without any assistance. He seems to be able to get around and survive. Sometimes the more you do, the more problems you create, and the chicken could suffer.

 

[SkyWolf]

Today my best friend gave me a rooster who seems to need his foot amputated. My best friend visited his girlfriend’s grandparents and found that one of their roosters had been fit by a car a few weeks back. His foot was barely attached, looked nasty, and seemed dead. The grandparents didn’t plan to try and heal the bird, or put him down. So my best friend convinced them to hand the bird over to me temporarily. Under closer inspection it seems his foot isn’t completely dead, but is dying. He can’t move it and it is stiff. At the break point it moves in ways unnatural, meaning the book is definitely broken. It seems dead dried tissue and scabs are the only thing keeping it attached. The foot is also cold to the touch. I plan to bath the foot tomorrow morning, but it already seems like I will have to amputate it as the foot will die. I’ve never amputated before, but we do not have any vets in the area who we can have do it instead. I’m busy all day with fair until Monday, only have morning and night when I can help him. So I’d really appreciate any advice, tips, or opinions that anyone has in this matter. I want to help him, and it seems if the foot stays he will have a slow death. If I amputate he could live, but if he dies (bleeds out or something, I don’t know) then at least he will be put out of his misery. He doesn’t seem to be in pain for now, just not walking on it.
I will link pictures below. After I wash it I will do an update. If I can’t bath him in the morning, my sibling will bath him that afternoon.

UPDATE: I had a few people telling me to leave him be and just return him. I spent a lot of time looking into frost bite injuries (I couldn’t find anything about traumatic injuries where limbs slowly fell off). He still has his foot and we did leave it be until Saturday. So it started to smell super bad (like a dead animal who’d been in a box in the sun for a week, it was horrid). I wasn’t gonna return him when it was clearly super nasty. So we started him on antibiotics on Saturday. He is getting antibiotics and Epson salt bathes two times a day (for the first week as it is super bad). Hopefully this will kill the bacteria and dry it all out a bit. We plan to do this and see where we are after the infection clears up. Wether or not we wait for it to fall off or remove it we can’t do anything right now as it risks opening a wound. Which would likely get bacteria from the rotting flesh and then just kill him. So for now he is getting bathes, antibiotics, his own cage with easy access food and water, along with having his friend (the bird came with him as they also seemed injuries. The two birds are super tight, one of those pairings that are super super close and always spend time together)

 

[Eggcessive]

Glad that you have a plan to help him. Betadine 10% would be good to put on the area that smells bad. Let us know how he gets along.