Hens Feet are Falling Off

[WalkingWolf]

Personally if it was me I would cull, out of respect for the hen. But my DW has vetoed the deed a few times. Sometimes it has resulted in great pets, other times I just had to do it while she was not home and lie to her. Sorry I know that may upset some, but I am sure she knows I am fibbing when I tell her they just expired. So far out of around a hundred birds I have 1 one eyed hen, one blind hen, one rooster who survived mushroom poisoning that had to completely learn how to walk, crow, and fly again. Another rooster with a dislocated tendon that seems to be recovering to normal.

The problem is if you are not going to take the time to make these crippled birds pets it is best to put them down. For the most part they will not be accepted and sooner or later done in by their own. For a bird without feet their will be no pad on the stump, hopefully the skin grows over and hardens but until then you should make pads and bandage them to the bottom of the stumps to keep pain and irritation down. I actually cast the roo with the dislocated tendon to restrict movement, he now walks normal and the cast is off but I still have the leg bandaged tightly to restrict movement until I am sure it heals. These bandages need to be changed and skin aired out every other day, and this adds time to my routine. Fortunately I am home to do this, but I got sick the last couple days and my DW had to do it. I also almost lost a new roo when another roo got loose and attacked and I was in bed with the flu. I felt awful but now I have another one eyed bird to tend to. You have to be there if the bird is in trouble if it can't fend for herself.

You have to weigh your time and ability to care for the injured bird with the actually quality of life of the bird. You have to be willing to accept a permanently crippled pet that will require extra care.

 

[Terri O]

When Charlie lost his legs and feet to frostbite 3 years ago I was ready to cull him per the vet's opinion. I woke up to a rooster crowing the next morning. I figured if he was well enough to crow I have to give him a chance. I had Charlie for three years before he got an infection that ultimately killed him. He lived in the house in the winter and in his own separate run in the summer with Mr Mr a pekin duck. HIs parting gift to me was having me discover BYC! I am still sad that he died, but he had a great life while he was here...fondly remembered by my DH as "the most spoiled chicken in the world." Do what your heart thinks is best...who knows, your hen might have something to teach you! Terri O in WI

 

[ranchhand]

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I am confused as to how many feet this hen has left? First one fell off, but them you cleaned them both. You say the others will most likely kill her, then that you don't know what will happen.

I am very sorry this is happening, but I still think humane euthanasia is best for your chicken. And further investigation as to why it ever happened, with prevention foremost.

 

[Badlatitude]

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I am confused as to how many feet this hen has left? First one fell off, but them you cleaned them both. You say the others will most likely kill her, then that you don't know what will happen.

I am very sorry this is happening, but I still think humane euthanasia is best for your chicken. And further investigation as to why it ever happened, with prevention foremost.

Maybe she means toes?

 

[1stepcloser]

I was assuming she meant "stump"...where the foot used to be. Poor thing.

 

[ranchhand]

Could be we're getting legs, feet and toes mixed up, from not reading the thread carefully before commenting. My understanding is that the chicken has legs but not feet. Legs that end at the ankle, so to speak. Unless the second foot hasn't completely fallen off yet.

The things I see are:

That the chicken can't rejoin the others, they attacked her the last time OP tried it.

Though fond of the hen, OP clearly states she does not want a sick chicken.

The hen is always going to be a special needs chicken, and the chances of her being content are not good- chickens are flock animals, very social.

So she would be alone and tended by someone who does not want a sick chicken.

Not a very positive outlook, I would euthanize the the hen.



Just to qualify that, so I don't come across as mean and too harsh- I love my chickens as pets, but they are working pets. And when one is miserable, I put it down rather than subject it to unending misery, BECAUSE I care about them.

 

[speckledhen]

Not a very positive outlook, I would euthanize the the hen.


Just to qualify that, so I don't come across as mean and too harsh- I love my chickens as pets, but they are working pets. And when one is miserable, I put it down rather than subject it to unending misery, BECAUSE I care about them.

1000x yes. As a responsible animal owner, you must always do what is best for the hen, not you. And I'd also fix the reason she got frostbite or this will happen with more of your birds.​

 

[fowltemptress]

A chicken thinks in terms of NOW, and doesn't really have the concept of future. When humans have injuries like this, they do have the ability to see a point in time when the pain will be gone and they will have a quality of life again. All this hen knows is she is she is hurting, and it's stressful.

I appreciate the empathy in humans required to see a future in which severely injured chickens will be alive and enjoying life, but it helps in these situations to turn off the empathy from a human standpoint and turn on the empathy from the chicken's point of view, and be able to imagine pain with no concept of it ending, nothing but what nature bestowed so generously on every animal . . . the ability to endure. Once that's achieved, it's easier to do what's best for the bird, and ignore what's easier for you.

I'm sorry about your chicken. It's always hard when your animals are injured or hurt.

 

[SurprisingWoman]

There are times when I think I err on the side of waiting to long because I am afraid that the dog (or whatever animal I am dealing with) isn't as unhappy as they probably are and I am projecting. There are also times when I am just so tired of dealing with the special needs issue the line fuzzes where do they want to go or do I just want them to go. I think I need to let go sooner than I do and this is something I am working on and try to remember when I am dealing with my pets.

Such a conundrum.

It sounds like the OP has done everything they can do to try and save the chicken. If I were a chicken... without therapist, anti-depressants and the ability to reason that "one day it would be better" I would not want to live.

 

[44Wolves]

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Um, I can say 1 thing. NO!