Storybook Farm
Songster
Had a sad and scary thing happen last night. I was cooking dinner when my dh came in from evening chicken tending with one of our beautiful Light Sussex pullets under his arm. She had frostbite on both feet! This was a total shock because all through this cold weather we’ve had no problems, except with one of our cocks early on this winter who had a touch of it on his comb. Anyways...
My husband took her up to our barn where we have single-chicken pens and heat lamps and put her there. We were out of bag balm, so we put some Vaseline on her feet. He gave her food and water, and she was ravenous and thirsty.
This morning we checked all 50 of our chickens, and no others were affected. We conclude that this poor little hen didn’t come in at bedtime night before last (temps at 10 degrees that night), and so froze her feet in the snow overnight. (White chickens in the snow at dusk can easily be missed!) We checked on this poor girl this AM, and she seems to be doing much better, but it was AWFUL to see her feet last night!
My husband took her up to our barn where we have single-chicken pens and heat lamps and put her there. We were out of bag balm, so we put some Vaseline on her feet. He gave her food and water, and she was ravenous and thirsty.
This morning we checked all 50 of our chickens, and no others were affected. We conclude that this poor little hen didn’t come in at bedtime night before last (temps at 10 degrees that night), and so froze her feet in the snow overnight. (White chickens in the snow at dusk can easily be missed!) We checked on this poor girl this AM, and she seems to be doing much better, but it was AWFUL to see her feet last night!