Help! Frostbite taking over my hens feet

[Emilyrose974]

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.

I am in Alberta. Thank you for the advice, the sling chair sounds like a good idea for her. How often do you recommend soaking her feet?

 

[Eggcessive]

I am in Alberta. Thank you for the advice, the sling chair sounds like a good idea for her. How often do you recommend soaking her feet?

Once a day is plenty, but less often is fine if they aren ‘t getting dirty. As long as she is inside, the feet can be coated in Betadine or chlorhexidene, and some use Vetericyn to keep down infection. You can take her out of the sling chair for periods of rest or to sleep at night.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you so so so much! I’m happy your Matilda was able to recover, I hope my hen will too

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

The only thing I will add is a link to @Allsfairinloveandbugs thread since she didn't provide it. Lots of good info and worth the read!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/matilda-is-going-to-lose-her-feet.1454933/

 

[Emilyrose974]

Frostbite, day 17

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

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 appreciatedView attachment 2951891View attachment 2951892

It is usually recommended to keep poultry with severe frostbite cases (and other severe injuries too) on soft towels, but I used flake shavings throughout the ordeal. VERY easy to scoop out poop, and shavings adhere to poop and help keep the feet clean. Epsom salt soaks will sooth skin and tissue and help draw out any infection. If her feet are soiled, rinse them off Before you plop her down into her warm soak. If you don't do that, it's a mistake you will only make once, as you throw out the dirty soak water and start again. Ask me how I know.

Do keep posting updates. It will help others know what to expect if they encounter frostbite cases in their own flocks. What is your hen's name?

 

[Emilyrose974]

It is usually recommended to keep poultry with severe frostbite cases (and other severe injuries too) on soft towels, but I used flake shavings throughout the ordeal. VERY easy to scoop out poop, and shavings adhere to poop and help keep the feet clean. Epsom salt soaks will sooth skin and tissue and help draw out any infection. If her feet are soiled, rinse them off Before you plop her down into her warm soak. If you don't do that, it's a mistake you will only make once, as you throw out the dirty soak water and start again. Ask me how I know.

Do keep posting updates. It will help others know what to expect if they encounter frostbite cases in their own flocks. What is your hen's name?

Her name is Sage. Thank you for the advice. I have been keeping her on a soft blanket as I haven’t had the opportunity to buy shavings yet. It’s day 22, the foot that had curled toes has now detached and is hanging on by a thin piece of skin. It was quite shocking when I first saw but I now notice it looks a whole lot better. I’ve started keeping her in a sling chair for longer periods of time because she has a hard time getting around. She puts no pressure on the leg that has detached, just keeps it up. She extends her wings and puts them to the ground to find balance whenever she is out of her sling chair. She still eats and drinks normally. Her other foot isn’t looking so good, it is a dark red and turning black, I think I can see where it will detach. The pictures aren’t pretty so beware

 

[Emilyrose974]

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry about your hen. It is really looking like she may lose both feet. Some people have posted about their chickens who walk around on stumps. Let us know how she gets along.

 

[CanadaEh]

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

how wide are your roosts? Wider roosts though collect more poop, allow chickens to lay on them covering their toes (as opposed to narrow roosts they have to grasp). I went with 2x4" boards on their flat side. No frost bites on feet, we have no colder than -20C nights though.

 

[Emilyrose974]

I just have a few questions, if anyone has answers that’d be great. what should I wrap her stumps with? How long after the feet detach should I wait until wrapping them? Do the wraps stay on 24/7? How often do they need to be changed? When will the pain be gone from her stumps? I’m assuming they still hurt her because she refuses to set it down. Also, here’s a few photos of my little fighter. she’s a Belgian D’Uccle