Frozen feet - how long does frostbite damage take to show up?

[Eggcessive]

It is so hard to tell about frostbite in a silkie’s feet with their grey skin. Can you post any pictures of the feet now? Treatment varies. I don’t recommend any treatment if they are outdoors in the coop. But if they can be inside where it is warmer, 2% chlorhexidene, betadine, or Vetericyn can be sprayed or applied daily. Sometimes a warm soak once a day to feet can help. Many times it takes weeks to know exactly how much damage is done.

 

[Ltilden]

It is so hard to tell about frostbite in a silkie’s feet with their grey skin. Can you post any pictures of the feet now? Treatment varies. I don’t recommend any treatment if they are outdoors in the coop. But if they can be inside where it is warmer, 2% chlorhexidene, betadine, or Vetericyn can be sprayed or applied daily. Sometimes a warm soak once a day to feet can help. Many times it takes weeks to know exactly how much damage is done.

I’ve attached updated pictures, and circled the weird blister like thing I’ve noticed on top of her foot in one of the pictures. I’ve brought her and one of her sisters (to keep her company) inside for however long it takes to heal. Ive been doing a chlorhexidene soak most nights and if not, I’ll do a quick rinse and vetericyn spray.

Would you suggest wrapping the feet to keep them protected or is it better to let them breathe?

 

[Eggcessive]

In the last picture, it looks like the two toes to the right are frostbitten, and she may lose those. But there may be other areas that are necrotic. Time will tell.

 

[Chickeria]

Hi Ltilden, how is your hen doing in the meanwhile? How are her feet?

 

[Ltilden]

Hi Ltilden, how is your hen doing in the meanwhile? How are her feet?

Hi @Chickeria, thank you for checking in on her! She’s doing okay right now, still living inside my house with her Silkie sister for company. She eats and drinks normally, however her feet are not doing very well at all. She just lost her first toe recently and it looks like all the rest will be gone soon (I’ll attach pics for people to see, if they happen to come across this post with this same issue, but they are graphic.)

Not sure what the future holds for poor Magnolia but I am going to continue keeping her comfortable and hope she can pull through this and is able to live some sort of normal life after but who knows.

If anyone has any advice for handling a chicken who has lost most if not all their toes, I’d love any input you might have.

Thanks,
Lindsay

 

[Eggcessive]

Thank you for the update pictures, it will be so helpful to others. Sorry that she is probably going to lose most of her toes. The black areas will eventually fall off, but she may be able to still manage to get around on her feet. There are quite a few threads about similar birds. Please let us know how she gets along, and post any tips about padding or things that could be helpful.

 

[Chickeria]

Hi @Chickeria, thank you for checking in on her! She’s doing okay right now, still living inside my house with her Silkie sister for company. She eats and drinks normally, however her feet are not doing very well at all. She just lost her first toe recently and it looks like all the rest will be gone soon (I’ll attach pics for people to see, if they happen to come across this post with this same issue, but they are graphic.)

Not sure what the future holds for poor Magnolia but I am going to continue keeping her comfortable and hope she can pull through this and is able to live some sort of normal life after but who knows.

If anyone has any advice for handling a chicken who has lost most if not all their toes, I’d love any input you might have.

Thanks,
Lindsay

Hi Ltilden, that's great news that Magnolia is doing so good! I'm so sorry that she lost her first toe and probably will lose all of her other toes (or most part of)
But what is definitely a blessing in disguise is, that it looks like she will keep her footpads - so she will always have kind of a good, stable basis to stand and to walk.
Here is the thread of brave Matilda, a hen who lost both feet (the whole feet, just stumps left) due to frostbite, and how she manages her life:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/matilda-is-going-to-lose-her-feet.1454933/#post-24221957
There are a lot of informations in there about frost bite treatments and about possibilities to help everyday life with damaged feet - perhaps you can find something helpful for Magnolia's case.
And hopefully seeing how Matilda manages everything on two stumps will give you courage regarding Magnolia's future.
Best wishes for you and your brave sweet little girl

 

[Blooie]

Scout, my rooster who lost his toes to frostbite, got around just fine on his stumps! He even flew up to the roost at night, slept up there all night, and flew back down in the morning. He mated with the hens, scratched in the dirt for goodies, and could outrun me with no problem.

 

[Ltilden]

View attachment 3007910

Scout, my rooster who lost his toes to frostbite, got around just fine on his stumps! He even flew up to the roost at night, slept up there all night, and flew back down in the morning. He mated with the hens, scratched in the dirt for goodies, and could outrun me with no problem.

This is so encouraging!! I am so hopefully Magnolia will have the same results. Thank you for sharing

 

[Ltilden]

Hi Ltilden, that's great news that Magnolia is doing so good! I'm so sorry that she lost her first toe and probably will lose all of her other toes (or most part of)
But what is definitely a blessing in disguise is, that it looks like she will keep her footpads - so she will always have kind of a good, stable basis to stand and to walk.
Here is the thread of brave Matilda, a hen who lost both feet (the whole feet, just stumps left) due to frostbite, and how she manages her life:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/matilda-is-going-to-lose-her-feet.1454933/#post-24221957
There are a lot of informations in there about frost bite treatments and about possibilities to help everyday life with damaged feet - perhaps you can find something helpful for Magnolia's case.
And hopefully seeing how Matilda manages everything on two stumps will give you courage regarding Magnolia's future.
Best wishes for you and your brave sweet little girl

I just read through Matilda’s entire thread and it was SO informative and helpful, thank you so much for sharing! I am feeling much more encouraged about Magnolias prognosis. I will definitely keep everyone updated and share anything that might be helpful to others along the way.