Help! Frostbite taking over my hens feet

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azygous said:
Could you please repost the photo, this time selecting full-size when you click on "insert"? It will allow us to zoom in for better detail than thumbnail size.

What is your location? We can look up your weather to inform us of your climate conditions, and it will help us help you help this hen.

Frost bite damage usually kills off tissue, and that tissue will blacken, dry up, and the tips most damaged will fall off. Do not touch, rub, or put anything on the damaged tissue. Keep from freezing further by preventing exposure to below freezing temps.
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azygous said:
Could you please repost the photo, this time selecting full-size when you click on "insert"? It will allow us to zoom in for better detail than thumbnail size.

What is your location? We can look up your weather to inform us of your climate conditions, and it will help us help you help this hen.

Frost bite damage usually kills off tissue, and that tissue will blacken, dry up, and the tips most damaged will fall off. Do not touch, rub, or put anything on the damaged tissue. Keep from freezing further by preventing exposure to below freezing temps.
Click to expand...
I am from Alberta. I do not plan on putting her back into the coop since she will have difficulty roosting and the rest of the flock will pick on her. She will stay in the house till summer
 
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Emilyrose974 said:
I am from Alberta. I do not plan on putting her back into the coop since she will have difficulty roosting and the rest of the flock will pick on her. She will stay in the house till summer
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I'm really sorry you and your young hen are experiencing this. If you are willing to make her a house chicken (except for during future balmy warm weather when she will enjoy being outside in the sunshine), & her attitude and spirit remain good, there is no need to euthanize her.

It isn't that her frostbite is currently "getting worse", but that her feet are Visually dying. The damage is done, and there is nothing you can do to reverse the process. Mostly all you can do now is wait for the dead feet to detach from the live tissue. Auto-amputation is an internal healing process that could take weeks or months; each case is different. Keep her warm and keep both feet clean and dry. Her feet will remain painful until the frostbitten tissue becomes completely necrotic and dies. Make sure her appetite stays good. It's ok to offer her some enticing treats such as scrambled eggs or meaworms if that is all she will eat.

I have a hen that lost both her feet to frostbite in February 2021. She now lives inside my house at night (since she can't roost) and also remains inside during cold and inclement weather. But she spends most days outside with her flock, & she even resumed laying eggs this past summer. Your young hen's frostbite is tragic and life-changing, and she will be handicapped for the rest of her life. But if you are willing to tend to her special needs, there's no reason that her life can't still be good and worth living.

Photo taken September 2021 of my feetless hen (Matilda) looking and acting like a perfectly normal chicken except for her wrapped and padded stumps.
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Allsfairinloveandbugs said:
I'm really sorry you and your young hen are experiencing this. If you are willing to make her a house chicken (except for during future balmy warm weather when she will enjoy being outside in the sunshine), & her attitude and spirit remain good, there is no need to euthanize her.

It isn't that her frostbite is currently "getting worse", but that her feet are Visually dying. The damage is done, and there is nothing you can do to reverse the process. Mostly all you can do now is wait for the dead feet to detach from the live tissue. Auto-amputation is an internal healing process that could take weeks or months; each case is different. Keep her warm and keep both feet clean and dry. Her feet will remain painful until the frostbitten tissue becomes completely necrotic and dies. Make sure her appetite stays good. It's ok to offer her some enticing treats such as scrambled eggs or meaworms if that is all she will eat.

I have a hen that lost both her feet to frostbite in February 2021. She now lives inside my house at night (since she can't roost) and also remains inside during cold and inclement weather. But she spends most days outside with her flock, & she even resumed laying eggs this past summer. Your young hen's frostbite is tragic and life-changing, and she will be handicapped for the rest of her life. But if you are willing to tend to her special needs, there's no reason that her life can't still be good and worth living.

Photo taken September 2021 of my feetless hen (Matilda) looking and acting like a perfectly normal chicken except for her wrapped and padded stumps.
View attachment 2951821
Click to expand...
Thank you so so so much! I’m happy your Matilda was able to recover, I hope my hen will too
 
I have a 5 month old hen that has frostbite on her feet. She’s been inside for 2 weeks now and it’s been getting worse. It started off as red blisters, now one leg is half black and shriveled. The other leg is beginning to turn black as well. She is eating and drinking fine, and does not act sick. She hobbles around and spends most of the day napping. I don’t wish to euthanize her unless she is in bad condition (like not eating or moving), as she is the only chick left in my small flock and I’ve grown to love her. I know she will be handicapped for the rest of her life and I’m willing to take care of her as long as she needs me. I need advice on how to make her as comfortable as possible, I’ve been putting a bit of crushed aspirin in her water for the pain and she is on a soft blanket with paper towels. I’ve been having trouble keeping her feet clean because she usually stays in one general area when she’s resting, so the steps in her droppings. I usually put her feet in warm water and clean them as best as I can, but they don’t stay clean long. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
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What is your location? Having a severely handicapped chicken will take a lot of time and attention over the next few weeks, and maybe from now on. Each winter, there are posts here about frostbitten toes or feet. She will probably lose the one foot in a month or more. The one that has purple splotches will take some time to know how much damage has been done. It is hard to see the lines of good skin and necrotic skin in the pics because of the feathered legs.

Is she indoors? If so, you can soak her feet daily in warm Epsom salts or water with iodine or soap. Do not massage or rub her feet. A chicken sling chair may be helpful in getting her upright, keep cleaner, and in front of food and water. I will try and find some older threads for you to read.
 

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