Missing Toenails

[azygous]

Yep! No more foot modeling for this girl. It sure looks like a mild case of frostbite to me, and healing nicely, as a matter of fact. The swelling accompanies the destruction of tissue just before the chicken jettisons the dead parts. The swelling will subside as healing is complete.

Skimpy roosts where the hen can't cover her feet adequately with her breast, water dripping from waterers and freezing on toes, sleeping on the frozen ground instead of up on a perch are some causes of frostbite on feet.

 

[CampnGirl]

Yep! No more foot modeling for this girl. It sure looks like a mild case of frostbite to me, and healing nicely, as a matter of fact. The swelling accompanies the destruction of tissue just before the chicken jettisons the dead parts. The swelling will subside as healing is complete.

Skimpy roosts where the hen can't cover her feet adequately with her breast, water dripping from waterers and freezing on toes, sleeping on the frozen ground instead of up on a perch are some causes of frostbite on feet.

Great information, thank you. Shouldn't be any of those things as I have larger round and flat perches. Their coop inside has at least 4" pine shavings and the floor is also insulated. Water? Well she is a Houdan and had a hard time drinking this winter. I try not to use a heat lamo but she'd drink and get her head all wet and end up with icecles on her head. So I turned on the lamp so her head would thaw out. I'm glad you answered and had such great advice. I was just thinking, maybe her nails are too long and that caused it.

 

[azygous]

What sort of watering system do you have? I have the Bright Tap horizontal water system where it screws into Igloo insulated water coolers.(Google it) I have the five gallon coolers sitting up on old tree stumps in the runs. Then I fastened plastic ice cube trays onto the stumps beneath the nipples to catch the drips before the water can land on chicken toes and freeze them. It's been working out splendidly. I attach the trays with "L" screws so I can pop the trays off for frequent cleaning.

 

[CampnGirl]

What sort of watering system do you have? I have the Bright Tap horizontal water system where it screws into Igloo insulated water coolers.(Google it) I have the five gallon coolers sitting up on old tree stumps in the runs. Then I fastened plastic ice cube trays onto the stumps beneath the nipples to catch the drips before the water can land on chicken toes and freeze them. It's been working out splendidly. I attach the trays with "L" screws so I can pop the trays off for frequent cleaning.

Can you send a photo? I have an old fashioned waterer where there's like a giant water holder on top and like a pan of sorts on the bottom. I have a big one and a smaller one I use however in the winter (this one was really cold) I have an outdoor heated dog dish. I try to keep the water outside. Haven't found snythany else that won't freeze.

 

[azygous]

 

[azygous]

I need to go out and photograph the ice cube trays. This photo just shows the insulating material I wrap around the cooler to keep the water inside from freezing, and the heating pad I have over the Bright Tap to keep the nipples from freezing up. This system has worked very well down into the single digits and below zero.

 

[azygous]

This shows the ice cube tray below the nipples, which are hidden by the insulation and wool blanket pulled over it for extra insulation and also to keep the chickens from picking at the insulation. They just poke their little heads under the blanket and get their drinks.

 

[CampnGirl]

I need to go out and photograph the ice cube trays. This photo just shows the insulating material I wrap around the cooler to keep the water inside from freezing, and the heating pad I have over the Bright Tap to keep the nipples from freezing up. This system has worked very well down into the single digits and below zero.

Wow that's fancy and really cool. I made a waterer out of PVC 'T' shaped with nipples on the bottom last spring. They never figured it out and used the nipples. I really like what you've got set up there. Thank you!