Chickens feet are red and wrinkled - HELP me please!! (PICS ADDED)

[cluckmecoop7]

You don't have to get it all, just shovel/scrape off most of it.



Don't give them warm food...they aren't humans....and the steam from the hot food can cause condensation on their face skin, or they step in it and get their feet wet.

They just need a good chicken ration and thawed water.

The first winter is hard, but do not overreact, they are tougher than you think.

Thanks! You are comforting me very much! So I should just feed them their regular chicken food?

 

[aart]

So I should just feed them their regular chicken food?

Yes.
What is their regular feed..brand with protein and calcium percentage?
All females.....are they laying?

 

[cluckmecoop7]

The brand I feed is "Dumor". I will check later to see what the protein and calcium percentage is. Yes, all females. They are not laying right now. They were over the summer though. I'm guessing it's do to winter and molting. (They are a little under two months away from being hens. )

 

[Nay]

I saw a post on here somewhere that used a old flattered cardboard box as a barrier for the snow. Works in a pinch until you can get some hay out there.

 

[CindyinSD]

Some people don’t like straw (not clear as to why). Some people don’t like hay because it can get moldy. I use both and pine shavings, pine needles—whatever dry carbonaceous stuff I can get. If you pile it deep (inside or out) it’s a good idea to mix it up with a pitchfork or similar. Just toss it enough to fluff it all up and let the air in—a couple times a week or whenever you feel like it. If you throw treats (I like BOSS and/or mealworms) the birds will help you, but they can’t dig very deep, so they will still need you and your fork-work.

You can strew the snow with any carbon material that will eventually decompose. They’re afraid of the strangeness of that white blanket. It’s not the coldness that keeps them from walking on it. A very sparse sprinkling of straw/hay/etc. works for mine if they need encouragement.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Thank you guys. Would cardboard make them slip, or could I use that do you think?

 

[aart]

Thank you guys. Would cardboard make them slip, or could I use that do you think?

What is your goal?
Trying to keep the chickens off the snow is futile, IMO.
As long as they have a place to get off of it,
in your case in or under the coop,
they will be fine.
Anything you put into the run will layer with more snow and eventually all 'melt' together.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Okay, thanks for the advice.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Oh, my goal is to keep them from stepping on the snow and making their feet cold.

 

[CindyinSD]

Oh, my goal is to keep them from stepping on the snow and making their feet cold.

Stepping on the snow won’t make their feet cold (not enough to bother them). It’s just that many chickens are afraid of the snow... because they’re chickens. Some of mine go out, others don’t, but if the others can see the some, they eventually come out too.