Can an old foot injury make your chicken more prone to frost bite? (Photos)

[Bogtown Chick]

The Toe is not so much a worry for me any more. Sort of an after thought now...but of course will still keep an eye on it.

Chickening in cold and winter is certainly challenging and a little higher maintenance but I guess it keeps me from becoming a couch potato.

And sometimes I'll just put on DH Carharts and just go down and sit in the coop or on haybale in the run and watch them chook around and reassure them about green leaves and grass coming and sunshine. They must think this is some sort of white hell though, right about now.

As I think of English Temperate weather, though, I think I could go for a bit of that around here. We've had it extremely nice around these parts the last 4 winters. This has been a year of extremes that's for sure. Thanks so much Shell.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

The Toe is not so much a worry for me any more. Sort of an after thought now...but of course will still keep an eye on it.

Chickening in cold and winter is certainly challenging and a little higher maintenance but I guess it keeps me from becoming a couch potato.

And sometimes I'll just put on DH Carharts and just go down and sit in the coop or on haybale in the run and watch them chook around and reassure them about green leaves and grass coming and sunshine. They must think this is some sort of white hell though, right about now.

As I think of English Temperate weather, though, I think I could go for a bit of that around here. We've had it extremely nice around these parts the last 4 winters. This has been a year of extremes that's for sure. Thanks so much Shell.

Agreed, in regard to the toe's condition ... seems to be improving, and the weather's of greatest concern. I wonder if draping a car cover over the coop would help buffer some of the cold w/o retaining too much moisture? It's one heck of a hard situation to figure ...

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Here is Roger today up for a check up on his toe and a little application of Bag balm along his legs, toes, wattles and comb.



So I apologize for some of these pictures. I didn't have my helpers handy to help hold him and get pictures. But there is a scab with rolled edges on his toe...and there was just a bit of clearness to the scab where I'm pretty sure I see healthy yellow underneath. I sure hope so anyways.



You can see it peeling a bit away and I do believe the toe looks now finally not larger than the other underneath. Once this "scab" is off I'm thinking it's just a matter of what the toenail will do and he should be good. I really feel all is good here.

Now. take a look at his "Thumbs" as we call them around here. The back claws. What do you see?

Yep! on the same affected foot another jammed toe nail. I don't know what I'm going to do with my roosts but they have to be lowered. Nobody else has had problems except for Mr. Delicate. I'm kind of disgusted about this, but it is what it is. "Chicken Learnin' " is certainly humbling at times. So I need to figure out something new. They're going to hate the lower roosts I've made attempts before but they despised it and kept looking up anxiously. Then what I tried didn't work anyways and went to a different modified version for the winter. What a pain. For Roger and for Me.

Project!

 

[choptank330]

He is looking much much better!! Oh poor thing about his other toe, at least now you know what you are dealing with and how to handle it! Poor Roger has had a rough winter, cheers to spring and hoping he will completely recover!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Choptank: Yes! cannot wait for spring. I think with chickens we all get antsy on here waiting for "greener" days for our chooks. I just can't get over this other toe looking like this now. IDK maybe it's a common injury for birds and I should just get over it and of course and just let him be a rooster and care for it if it starts degrading by cleaning and covering. But to think this has happened twice now and same foot. I wonder about some of his footing when he pops up on the roost...you know does he use the ladder wrong for that last spring up or does he land on the same foot hard enough. But for that back claw to have been affected as it doesn't really seem to carry loads really it just sort of hangs back there most of the time it seems. Really I guess it doesn't matter, but I suppose knowing would help me with how I should rig a solution for these birds. Either way it's going to be challenging for the design of my coop to lower roosts if that's the solution.

 

[shell3]

yep i see what you mean! its just so disheartening when youve done such a great job with the other toe and its looking so good, then he goes and bust up another one! seems strange it would be the back one thou, praps he just had un unballanced landing. just bad luck i guess.
hopegully it will just swell a bit then go back to normal, if not at least you know what your dealing with this time round.
dont you just wish they could talk! you could sit him down and say "rog, mate, your really better off on the lower roost, i know you like it up there but your just too rough with the landings old chap"! lol he'd probly say " i dont care im still going up there"! oh well maybe talking wouldnt help afterall!

oh dear my crazys showing again! lol
keep us posted on the toes and any changes you make, its not always so easy to just move a roost! takes planning! and time. hopefully you'll get a nice warm weekend for some comfy coop time xx

 

[Bogtown Chick]

OMG Shell I just love your British Chat with Roger. LOL

I wish it were that easy. And then if you could talk with him...the decisions he makes with that bird brain of his wouldn't make sense anyways. LOL.

I did some searching on just general toe nail injuries and there are plenty out there. I need to go through more as some were unknown how they happened. Some were fights, etc. So maybe so-so on the frequency of this problem. I just feel now with this second injury so soon after the first that there's something up with the way he's doing something in my coop and the near as I can figure it is the roosts and landing.

 

[shell3]

yes its frustrating!i keep nagging steve for a secret coop camera!id love to know what they get up to when were gone!lol chicken run comes to mind!!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I took a kid and a camera down to the run today and picked up spunky Roger who wanted to flog me for not bringing a bowl of treats. Chicken Brain.


Keep in mind he's been scratchcing around and obvioulsy found a tuft of yellow lab hair off of my son. But here is the toe. My thoughts at this time. Slow healing. Is it more eschar than scab? As a result of frost bite and there will be some loss of toe tip? That's where I'm leaning. I'm not sure if the claw matrix is affected or not and cannot be sure until I guess this toenail comes out and if he grows a new one obviously. More time to find out. But what I do see under some of that scabby mess is some red and there is healing still. I suppose this is slower due to further from the heart, etc.



Back of that toe shows some cracking, but interestingly this was under another layer that peeled. You can see skin cell margins or scales...and so it tells me that maybe that it has viability. I'm just not sure and it's going to be interesting how it all turns out.

I'm pretty sure he was in his wood ashes dusting right before we got down there. LOL



6 more inches of snow this morning. Will this winter ever end? LOL. My goodness. Poor Chickens.

 

[shell3]

this is so interesting to watch! all looks to be in the healing process.nice and dry and a good normal size.
i guess some cracking is to be expected as it dries and flakes. as long as the cracking dosnt tear new skin
leaving little open bits for infection to get in id say this is def a waiting game now. but i know you'll be checking
for anything like that! your a dedicated chickie momma!lol
cant believe how well its looking! well done you,and rog!
i love that last pic of the flock i see the sadles staying put too!
your weather is certainly persistant! fingers crossed the suns right round the corner xxx