EE pullet with a broken foot??

[Buster's Banties]

I have a 5 month old ee pullet with one foot swollen (*really not thinking bumble foot*). I first noticed her acting weird 2 weeks ago and after a few days realized this was beyond what she could contend with on her own. I've had her inside for a week and a half.

She doesn't walk around - she either hops or tries to put weight on the bad foot and gives up and sits back down. However, she can jump out of boxes and if left to her own devices will slowly explore the house. (LOL - found her under the kitchen table this morning!)

The foot is swollen and hot. There's black skin between her toes which is now sloughing off. Her toe nails are dark red and have begun turning black. Initially her feet were the same color but now the swollen one is darker....like starting to look dead. She doesn't seem to be able to move her foot or toes - so I think when she's "walking" she gets confused and gives up rather than being in pain. I can manipulate her foot without her fussing but since the toes are all swollen there's not a lot of flexibility. I'll be posting pix in just a few minutes.

When I first brought her in I washed her feet and used polysporin between her toes. I've been giving her water supplemented with gro-gel, poultry pack, raw vinegar, vitamin b...which ever is closest (not all of them at once). She gets Manna Pro Tri-L-Duty. Eating does not seem to be a problem. However, since she doesn't stand much she gets very dirty sitting in her own poo.

I've gave her three days of tylan shots when I first brought her inside but there was no improvement. I tried another several days of oxytet in her water. Nada.

The foot is more swollen now than ever and I'm worried that whatever is causing the swelling will eventually either lead to blood poisoning or her leg will actually start rotting away up into her body.

Meanwhile she's just sitting here next to me in her laundry basket bed resting. (Wore herself out this morning!)

Ideas anyone??

 

[Buster's Banties]

Ugly foot pix taken Saturday (2 days ago - it actually looks a bit worse now that her toe nails are completely black and the black skin between her toes is peeling off)

 

[Matt A NC]

Looks like severe frostbite.

If it was a toe it would eventually fall off, but with a whole foot I don't know.

Matt

 

[chookchick]

OOh boy, that does not look good. Can you get her to a vet for possible amputation? Is it possible that it could be frostbite? You could try posting as "should I amputate?".

 

[Buster's Banties]

I thought about frostbite but ruled it out since none of the others have this foot problem. I have a few with black on the tips of their combs.... We had some exceptionally cold weather a month or so ago but the birds were in several heated areas. I have about 50 birds in a bird coop complex with 3 main hubs and then several glassed in sunning areas. The only thing I can think is she must have gotten pushed out of a heated area or never found her way in??...which I suppose is technically possible but very unlikely.

I need to read more about frostbite and amputation. Thank you for giving me some ideas to think on....

 

[feathersnuggles]

Just in case it's frostbite, and if there's a chance to save her foot, check out this post from someone who has a chicken with frostbitten feet and the vet's advice on treatment:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3477170#p3477170

 

[feathersnuggles]

Quote:
I am thinking your pullet didn't get any "colder" than the rest of the flock. But staying DRY in the cold, is paramount to staying healthy. Moisture is the cause of frostbite. If her feet got wet or moist, and then she encountered the cold, she may well have gotten frostbitten. The other birds may not have gotten as wet, somehow. If you're going to keep the coop warm, it needs VERY good ventilation to pull off moisture generated by their breath, their poop, any waterers that are indoors.

Did you check to see if their bedding, etc was damp or if the walls of the coop were moist?

 

[Rocky Top Chick]

I think it looks like a broken foot, but I don't really know. I have a hen now that had a broken leg and her foot looked ugly that that for some time. Now it is still swollen, but the color is back. I did put her on Pen G for 5 days.

 

[Buster's Banties]

The frostbite pieces I've read all talk about the pain the birds appear to be experiencing. This birdie doesn't seem to be hurting, just frustrated that her foot won't work.

There should be ample ventilation given the way the corridors between the coops are constructed. However, if she had snuggled up against the water heater then she could have ended up wetter than the other birds but then the heater would sort of negate the frostbite.

Urg! It's like a dog chasing it's tail!

Haven't been able to drum up much about broken FEET in chickens. Toes and legs see to get broken routinely but not feet.... I've been thinking alot about my leghorn hen that ended up dying last winter after days of enduring the affections of studly young roosters. That was the first winter I had birds and the first time I had roosters. Come to think of it, she was the first bird I ever lost and felt like if I had intervened sooner she might still be alive.

At any rate, I have a number of "coming of age" roosters right now and wonder if maybe this ee got hurt in a scuffle. Does that sound at all plausible or am I just still feeling guilty about my leghorn?