Frostbite or something else?

[Lizz9311]

I recently lost a hen from what appeared to be infection due to missing toes. Now, I had noticed this chicken had been walking weird a few weeks back, but she seemed to heal fine so I didn't think a thing of it until I found her dead in the coop. I now have 3 other chickens that appear to have blackened, shriveled toes on the verge of falling off. Yesterday, they appeared absolutely fine, but I also had not picked them up for an up close look.

Any ideas as to what the problem is? What can I do for these birds as it appears the blackened appendages are doomed to fall off? Do I have to bite the bullet and count those birds as goners like the hen I've already lost?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Eggcessive]

There have been quite a few cases of frostbitten toes and feet this year that have been reported on BYC, and most have seemed to recover after losing toes, and some with one or both feet falling off. Your chicken may have had gangrene or widespread infection, but also could have died from another different problem. You can soak their feet in epsom salts and clean them up if you can bring them inside to dry. A spray on Betadine or BlKote would be good to use on the feet to dry them out and disinfect them.