Frostbitten feet of 8 week old pullet

[Ladyxan]

This is my 8 wk old Sapphire Egger cross. The phone decided to focus on me instead of her feet, but they are swollen and peeling a bit. Her gait is almost marching and before she came home with me, Emma said she soaked them in Epsom salt several times.

1) How do you keep a young pullet to stay still?
2) How long do you soak?
3) How often?
4) How much Epsom salt compared to water?

She’ll probably lose at least one toe if not more. Just hoping I can keep the infection to a minimum and she won’t suffer. She doesn’t seem to be affected other than her gait as she still walks on them quite a bit.

I was thinking of soaking, neosporin, and that bandage in one of the other frostbite posts. Almost reminds me of the sticky sandals.

HELPFUL INFO: keep your cement floor in your coop well packed with litter when it gets below zero and the wind takes the temps down another ten degrees under zero. Oh, and remember, you’re not a super human. You cannot make sure you clean poop off their feet 24/7. And if you use a heating pad, make sure it continues working through the cold. Even the heated water buckets still froze over this year. I dislike Iowa wind to the point of hating it, but my Nana always taught me it’s not nice to hate something. Careful Iowa winter winds, I could make an acceptance!!

THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

 

[Chicka101]

My rooster had a frostbitten wattle I used Vaseline as water freezes if it`s cold It`s returning to it`s normal color now and to hold your hen down just a firm hand on their upper back usually does it

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your pullet. She will lose parts of at least 2 toes on the right foot. I would only soak her feet if she is kept inside where it is warm. You can use 1/2 cup of Epsom salts per gallon of water in a small plastic dish pan, and soak for about 15 minutes daily. Also you could use plain dish soap or a disinfectant such as Betadine or Chlorhexidene in the water instead of Epsom salt. You would need to stay with her while she stands in the water.

Stop any bandaging, and Vetericyn wound spray would be better than using ointment. I also would be using clean towels or puppy pads for bedding in a dog crate. I hope that she does well. It can take a month or more for the dead tissue to fall off.

 

[Fluffy_Feathers]

To keep her still, I would suggest wrapping her in a towel to secure her wings, kind of like a burrito, and you can try to wrap her in a way that you can bring the towel over head. Or just put a second towel over her head. Just don't wrap her so tight it squishes her and make sure she can still breathe okay. This worked with a mature hen, I'm not sure about a pullet but you can try it if you haven't already.

Edit: Just realized you may be talking about keeping her still in general for the healing process, and not just for soaking. If that's the case, you can try to create a sling for her to sit in, however I'm not sure if that would go over well with her. You may just have to let her move around but constrict her space.

 

[Ladyxan]

A few pictures after her soak and being dried with the hair drier. Alternating between warm and cool and a safe distance away. She’s so fluffy I’m gonna die!! I just love her little feather on her head!

I discovered a good way to keep her still while soaking, a large measuring cup and me holding her and stroking her, although she does lift that right foot a lot. I had to push it back into the soak several times. Teehee

 

[Ladyxan]

To keep her still, I would suggest wrapping her in a towel to secure her wings, kind of like a burrito, and you can try to wrap her in a way that you can bring the towel over head. Or just put a second towel over her head. Just don't wrap her so tight it squishes her and make sure she can still breathe okay. This worked with a mature hen, I'm not sure about a pullet but you can try it if you haven't already.

Edit: Just realized you may be talking about keeping her still in general for the healing process, and not just for soaking. If that's the case, you can try to create a sling for her to sit in, however I'm not sure if that would go over well with her. You may just have to let her move around but constrict her space.

No, you were correct, it was mostly with the soak. She wriggled a little in the measuring cup, but talking to her and stroking her did the trick. They are pretty restricted currently anyways. They are in the coop. It’s pretty small and I’m hoping that will work. Guess this will become my evening time with her. Need to do the same for Gallina and Pennie as well.

I saw a sticky bandage suggested in here, might look into that. EDIT: Here it is... https://medicalmega.com/medical/con...FxKboB9roICdmn1PbCUrwBcIi439VBGghgRoCGLPw_wcB

I am so very grateful for all this info, especially as a novice.

Btw, once I figure out how to make my signature show up, I did add a few photos of everyone in the gallery.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Did u order the bandage on the link u attached? If so, how did the bandage work for you/her?

 

[Ladyxan]

No, after reading a few posts about bandages, I decided not to. The girls are fine...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/g_fb-png.7933845/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/ev_fb-jpeg.7933846/

Looking through the pictures, I need to update a few.

 

[Eggcessive]

Thanks for the update. It looks like she is healing well in the pictures. Good job on treating her.