Breeding pen inside coop?

[aart]

They are are all in good shape. I know the people I got most of them from and know they have good birds. I got some others from a person I did not know but I would be happy living in her chicken coop, and all her birds are in good shape.

One exception though. I have one Brahma hen with a swollen back toe. No raised scales or any other signs of anything I know about. It isn't spreading to her other toes and no sores on her feet. Maybe just a broken toe?

Right now they are all together in a 30x10 coop. There are two roosters that were raised together and the rest of the males are young cockrels. They seem to be getting along good now. Some sparing but nothing bad.

Sounds pretty good.
Not sure about the toe, black usually means dead tissue, watch for infection.
Might actually be caused by infection, wound infested with bacteria...often called bumblefoot.
Examine it closely, maybe wash it to get a better look.
Toe might fall off and remainder heal fine, or it could kill her.

First thing I would suggest is get a few pens built to sequester those cock/erels if(when) necessary....how many and what ages are the males?

...and then a brooder pen for when you start hatching. I integrated my chicks young this year, as shown here, it worked out great.

What is your climate?
Putting your location in your profile can help folks give better answers/suggestions.

 

[smileygreen64]

Sounds pretty good.
Not sure about the toe, black usually means dead tissue, watch for infection.
Might actually be caused by infection, wound infested with bacteria...often called bumblefoot.
Examine it closely, maybe wash it to get a better look.
Toe might fall off and remainder heal fine, or it could kill her.

First thing I would suggest is get a few pens built to sequester those cock/erels if(when) necessary....how many and what ages are the males?

...and then a brooder pen for when you start hatching. I integrated my chicks young this year, as shown here, it worked out great.

What is your climate?
Putting your location in your profile can help folks give better answers/suggestions.

Her toe isn't "black". It's the small toe on the "back" of her foot. There is no discoloration or signs of any external damage. I have been monitoring it. She doesn't limp, and she is otherwise fine. She is my boss lady of the coop.

There are 5 males. Two brahmas about a year and a half. Two wyandottes and a leghorn about 20 weeks. There will one more younger Sussex soon. The leghorns are in my 2x5 broader cage at the moment because they are so much smaller than the brahmas.

I live in southeast Alabama. My coops are open air (no solid walls) and I have a tarp for the walls when the weather gets bad.

 

[aart]

Ohhh...oops.... read black instead of back.
Hopefully it resolves.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might post a photo of the toe. It sounds like it could possibly be bumblefoot. That’s where a splinter, piece of glass, tip of a thorn, or something else penetrates underneath and it becomes infected. It’s the same thing as you getting a splinter. Usually there is a dark spot that needs to come out.

I’ve never seen bumblefoot but many on this forum have. It may resolve itself or it may get inflamed and require surgery, like removing a splinter. Or it may be something else entirely. Sometimes they develop “corns” or “calluses” on their feet for whatever reasons. I have seen those and don’t do anything about them. It may be a sprain that has swollen and will resolve itself. I’ve done that to my body. Or as you say a broken toe. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on this forum, a photo might help some of them identify what you have and whether it is a concern.

If she is not favoring it and it does not look inflamed I would not over-worry.

 

[aart]

You might post a photo of the toe. It sounds like it could possibly be bumblefoot. That’s where a splinter, piece of glass, tip of a thorn, or something else penetrates underneath and it becomes infected. It’s the same thing as you getting a splinter. Usually there is a dark spot that needs to come out.

I’ve never seen bumblefoot but many on this forum have. It may resolve itself or it may get inflamed and require surgery, like removing a splinter. Or it may be something else entirely. Sometimes they develop “corns” or “calluses” on their feet for whatever reasons. I have seen those and don’t do anything about them. It may be a sprain that has swollen and will resolve itself. I’ve done that to my body. Or as you say a broken toe. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on this forum, a photo might help some of them identify what you have and whether it is a concern.

If she is not favoring it and it does not look inflamed I would not over-worry.

I've had a couple cases of bumblefoot...never treated and they cleared up in time.

This reminds me of something posted recently in the 'safety' thread.....
....human hair from us long haired folk, or string, getting wrapped around a foot, toe, or tongue,
cutting off circulation and/or creating wound that can become infected.

 

[smileygreen64]

I will try and get a decent picture this evening and post it here and in a new thread.

 

[aart]

I will try and get a decent picture this evening and post it here and in a new thread.

You could start new thread in the injury forum and just post a link to that thread here.

 

[smileygreen64]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1143605/is-this-bumble-foot#post_17803158
Here is the link to the pictures of her toe. The pictures aren't good, but I tried to describe it as best I could in the post.