Frozen feet... please help!

[kaydeetee86]

Oh goodness poor baby , I hope all goes good for her , just wanted to share something I seen the other day , not to sure how practical these would be .View attachment 2524219

She might tolerate them, actually. I’ll take a look at those, thank you!

 

[kaydeetee86]

Thank you to everybody who has helped so far. I really, REALLY appreciate it. Even if it’s telling me what I did wrong, I need to hear it. My chickens matter more than my pride.

Morning update on my Red:

She’s actually doing alright. She’s puffed up and I can tell she’s not feeling well. But she is eating (enthusiastically), drinking, and pooping. I’ve got the electrolytes and vitamins in her water, and a ground baby aspirin.

Feet are a little swollen and pink. I’m at work so my wife is keeping an eye on her. I can post some updated photos when I get home.

I should have soaked her feet... I was just so afraid it was going to make it worse.

I’m upset. I feel like I’ve failed her. I read and read. There are no drafts or moisture getting in. The coop is ventilated. Their 10x10 run is covered. We have tarps up on the run to keep the snow out, but about 8’ of the far corner is open for fresh air.

 

[mommiesrcool]

Thank you to everybody who has helped so far. I really, REALLY appreciate it. Even if it’s telling me what I did wrong, I need to hear it. My chickens matter more than my pride.

Morning update on my Red:

She’s actually doing alright. She’s puffed up and I can tell she’s not feeling well. But she is eating (enthusiastically), drinking, and pooping. I’ve got the electrolytes and vitamins in her water, and a ground baby aspirin.

Feet are a little swollen and pink. I’m at work so my wife is keeping an eye on her. I can post some updated photos when I get home.

I should have soaked her feet... I was just so afraid it was going to make it worse.

I’m upset. I feel like I’ve failed her. I read and read. There are no drafts or moisture getting in. The coop is ventilated. Their 10x10 run is covered. We have tarps up on the run to keep the snow out, but about 8’ of the far corner is open for fresh air.

I'm glad to hear that she is doing better bouns points to you for following our advice! I would try to keep her in the house until her feet swell down a bit do you have a dog crate that she could possibly stay in for a few nights? If you do make sure to keep her in the house.

 

[Eggcessive]

Don’t beat yourself up. As I said before, I would not put vaseline on combs, since it can freeze and cause frostbite. Frostbite is common in freezing temperatures if the comb is large. The toes, if they get wet during freezing weather, say from spilled water on the floor, she could get frozen toes or feet. I use the wide side of 2x4 for roosts in my coop, so they can lie on their feet at night. If she just loses a toe or toe tips, she may do just fine. Above the dark part, the healthy tissue may be swollen and pink. If you look at the picture below, you can see the living pink tissue above the black parts that will eventually fall off:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/6529125/width/600/height/450

 

[kaydeetee86]

She’ll be in the house until it warms up outside. Probably a couple of weeks. It’s supposed to be in the single digits and teens for a while. She’s hanging out in the spare bathroom shower with a lot of towels. It stays nice and warm in there. We do have kennels if/when we need to move her.

Any idea on when I should let her walk around?

 

[mommiesrcool]

She’ll be in the house until it warms up outside. Probably a couple of weeks. It’s supposed to be in the single digits and teens for a while. She’s hanging out in the spare bathroom shower with a lot of towels. It stays nice and warm in there. We do have kennels if/when we need to move her.

Any idea on when I should let her walk around?

When is it the warmest time of the day? Whatever time that is along as there is sun then I would let her go with the others for 1-2 hours but I would wait maybe a week or two before you do that so she can heal up.

 

[kaydeetee86]

Don’t beat yourself up. As I said before, I would not put vaseline on combs, since it can freeze and cause frostbite. Frostbite is common in freezing temperatures if the comb is large. The toes, if they get wet during freezing weather, say from spilled water on the floor, she could get frozen toes or feet. I use the wide side of 2x4 for roosts in my coop, so they can lie on their feet at night. If she just loses a toe or toe tips, she may do just fine. Above the dark part, the healthy tissue may be swollen and pink. If you look at the picture below, you can see the living pink tissue above the black parts that will eventually fall off:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/6529125/width/600/height/450

Got it, okay. Thank you. Those photos give me a better idea.

We’re going to widen their roosting bars this weekend.

No more Vaseline!!! I’m going to switch back to the salve I was using before. It’s just weird... even the roos with their bigger combs have been okay. Not sure why it’s just her, but she’s a tough little bird. Even if she loses a toe or toes, she’ll be okay.

 

[kaydeetee86]

When is it the warmest time of the day? Whatever time that is along as there is sun then I would let her go with the others for 1-2 hours but I would wait maybe a week or two before you do that so she can heal up.

The highest it’s going to be for as far as the forecast goes is 18°F. We’re looking at mostly single and negative digits, with snow. It’s miserable!

I’m wondering if I may need to come up with indoor arrangements for the rest of the flock on the super cold nights. We have an unheated sunroom, but it stays significantly warmer in there.

 

[Eggcessive]

What state are you in? I doubt that you need to bring in the whole flock for the winter, if you have a coop that has not direct drafts, but has some overhead ventilation to help remove moisture. Keeping a thick layer of dry bedding should be enough. Many in Canada deal with subzero temps with little problem. I would probably let you hen have some time with her flock daily just to remain part of the pecking order, even if it is just an hour. It is tough to have to reintegrate a hen who has been gone for a couple of weeks. If you have a dog crate that fits inside the coop, you could keep her there on clean towels for bedding.

 

[mommiesrcool]

The highest it’s going to be for as far as the forecast goes is 18°F. We’re looking at mostly single and negative digits, with snow. It’s miserable!

I’m wondering if I may need to come up with indoor arrangements for the rest of the flock on the super cold nights. We have an unheated sunroom, but it stays significantly warmer in there.

I wouldn't bring the whole flock in but maybe only the ones that get frostbite but do you have a picture of your coop so we could see what your setup is to understand better? do you have a ventilation window?