Matilda Marans had an accident last month during Texas' all-time low record temperatures. I have read threads on frostbite before, & saw the sad photos of poultry losing /having lost their feet. The main thing i made note of after reading those threads was to make sure my chickens couldnt submerge their feet in freezing water, since that seems to be the general consensus as to how frostbitten chicken feet occurs. But Matilda didnt get her feet wet; I am positive of that. The temperature was 3 degrees the morning her injury happened, & had ranged -4F to low teens the entire prior week. The only water the chickens had access to was the many gallons of thawed water i hauled out to them in one gallon chick waterers, which they always drank immediately. (There Was 4-5 inches of snow on the ground on the day of her injury). I've been treating her for several weeks now, and have wavered back and forth as to whether to post her case. Frankly, its very depressing to acknowledge her reality. There's nothing i can do to save her feet, & also it's possible her injuries wouldnt be so severe if i had known how to properly treat frostbite at the initial stage. But maybe something can be learned to help others if they ever deal with frostbite with their own chickens. Not that Matilda would have volunteered to sacrifice her feet to help anybody, but nevertheless that's where she's at. Anyone that has knowledge or experience with frostbite, please offer your comments, constructive criticism, and advice. The photo in this post was taken this past Saturday, March 28. Next i will explain how her accident ocurred, & post photos of her visible symptoms as they developed, beginning with the day of her accident on february 19. A warning, the following photos are graphic and not pretty.
