FOOT SUDDENLY MISSING: UPDATES with video

[jjthink]

If you can, get that seriously injured bird to an avian vet right away.
JJ

 

[sunnyvera]

I am so sorry to hear about Peep's leg. Powdered cayenne pepper will stop the bleeding quickly and prevent infection. When/if it heals, she can live with a stump. It sounds wierd, but one of my sister's hens lost an entire foot too (she thinks it fell off from frostbite) and she gets around fine on her stump. She does not seem distressed at all and keeps up and lays fine. They did name her "Peg" however. I am not trying to make a joke, just sharing my sister's experience. Keep us posted on her condition. Also, make your henhouse more secure and look for little holes where varmints can get in.

 

[iBoodle]

The only place where rats could get in is through the chicken wire; which is about 1 inch wide, if not smaller. I've never seen a rat around here before, but I suppose they lurk around.

jjthink, I can't get them to a vet, my parents wouldn't justify spending a lot of money of a bird that was $1.50

sunnyvera, it's ok, I may have to change Peep's name to "Hops" or something

I soaked both of their feet in rubbing alcohol and water, then I put neosporin on Malachi and put a bandaid over that, which she then proceeded to peck off and make her foot bleed even more. So I resoaked her and put neosporin on again, and put her back in the cage. But she was bleeding a lot so I put some flour on her foot which seemed to stop it.

With Peep I soaked her foot for a few minutes, then my sister applied a lot of neosporin and wrapped it up in gauze, nice and tight. I put her back in her coop, and she hopped over to her little perch and laid down.

While soaking her foot, I had her wrapped in a towel. She was shaking and closing her eyes...

So far, they have eaten a little bit of yogurt; some chick crumbles; and two scrambled eggs.

Peep's poop is really watery and yellow still; shock? Pain?

I will go to the local feed store here and look for chicken first aid kits! I wish there was something I could give them for pain.
Thanks for all of your kind words! Hopefully Peep pulls through!

 

[tinychicky]

sound like you got some pretty good advice already. she's probably in shock. wrap her in a towel and keep her warm, then clean her foot really well. wounds like that bleed A LOT and you don't want her to loose to much blood. try to plug the wounds with a cotton ball or gauze pad, then wrap the stump tightly with gauze wrap, the kind that sticks to itself. when the wound is set (bleeding has slowed down, etc.) unwrap the foot and apply neosporin. the reason you couldn't do this before is because the blood would have just washed it away. rewrap the foot and keep the birds inside, maybe in the garage if you have one, just somewhere secure. if the bleeding hasn't stopped after several hours, tie a tourniquet. she may lose more of her foot, but it will stop her from bleeding to death. tie a piece of cloth tightly just above the wound. it will help cut off the flow of blood. the area below the touriquet may black and fall off, but you'll have saved the rest of her from dying. the next morning, check her again. she should not be bleeding any more. wrap unp her foot again and keep it wrapped, changing the bandage every two to three days for a few weeks until she's healed. i wnt to be a vet, too, but i also get upset when an animal's hurt. good luck, i hope peep gets better!

 

[iBoodle]

Thanks, tinychicky. She wasn't bleeding anymore so I just washed it out and put neosporin on it. This may sound horrible, but I don't want to put her in the garage; I don't want to separate my two girls. I will out an old beach towel around her though when I get home from a dance perfomance.

I just checked on them and Peep ate almost all of her egg and was working on her yogurt.

 

[Attack Chicken]

You sound like your doing all you can do to help.

I would take some gauze and wrap her foot/stub up really good over the neosporin and then put a few strips of med tape. Then over than put a baby sock on her foot and then take a strip of med tap and put it tightly but not to tightly around the top of the sock /around her leg. Should help keep it cleaner. I use this all the time when I have foot problems with my birds

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

iBoodle - Some rats, depending on size, can fit through a 1" opening. That's why a lot of folks use 1/2" hardware cloth on all openings to their coops.

 

[peahen46]

If you have a local feed store get some Betidine surgical scrub or prep. Scrub you have to wash off prep you don't. Then apply Blue cote it comes in a spray it's great for all kinds of animals and they heal fast. Good luck. I just heard from a woman in Mass that she caught chip munks killing and eating her chicks. I would have never thought those cute little guys were another predator for us to worry about. Hope that helps.
Lin

 

[terrilhb]

I know for chickens you can use baby asprin. 1 asprin(81mg) in I think 1 cup of water. Don't know if it is the same dose for baby chicks. It will help with the pain.

 

[tinychicky]

that's probably good that you don't seperate her from the other chicken, she might get depressed. can you post pictures of the wound? it might help...