heatherschickensquad
Hatching
- Jan 19, 2018
- 4
- 7
- 6
My hen was outside a week or two ago during one of the coldest weeks of the year. The cold has never bothered any of my hens before and they love to free range in the grass. Unfortunately, it had been below freezing for a couple days and I believe my chicken may have gotten frostbite.
I first noticed it when I saw she had stepped in her poop and it had turned into a frozen ice clump on her foot. I clean out their coop everyday to avoid situations like this but I wasn't quick enough. It was frozen to her foot and I was afraid to pull it off. I didn't want to rip her skin off with it.
She started to sit on it to warm up the ice clump and I put her in warm water hoping she would be okay. I cleaned off her feet and put her back in the hen house for the night. However, the next morning she still wasn't walking around. She was still sitting down like she was the day before. She didn't even move up to the roost at night. I checked her feet and they were both completely swollen. I thought they might have just been swollen and sore from the cold ice clump that was stuck to her foot.
I let her be for the next day hoping that she would eventually start walking. But that was not the case. I checked her feet and this time they were more swollen than before and red. I quickly brought her inside to our inside coop to watch her. She was still eating and drinking though it was noticeable that she had lost weight. I was starting to get really nervous. I looked at forums on here and thought that it might be frostbite. So I bought gauze and animal spray to avoid infection incase her feet started to blister.
It has now almost been a week since she has been in our inside coop, her feet are still swollen and many of her blisters have popped. I rewrap her feet everyday to avoid infection.
Her feet are are grayish, greenish color and are still swollen since. She has lost her nail on one foot and still hasn't made any progress in moving them.
She is still alert and she is eating and drinking but hasn't made the effort to move.
I guess I'm wondering if she really has frostbite or is it something else.
Is she going to lose her feet because she hasn't moved in two weeks?
I first noticed it when I saw she had stepped in her poop and it had turned into a frozen ice clump on her foot. I clean out their coop everyday to avoid situations like this but I wasn't quick enough. It was frozen to her foot and I was afraid to pull it off. I didn't want to rip her skin off with it.
She started to sit on it to warm up the ice clump and I put her in warm water hoping she would be okay. I cleaned off her feet and put her back in the hen house for the night. However, the next morning she still wasn't walking around. She was still sitting down like she was the day before. She didn't even move up to the roost at night. I checked her feet and they were both completely swollen. I thought they might have just been swollen and sore from the cold ice clump that was stuck to her foot.
I let her be for the next day hoping that she would eventually start walking. But that was not the case. I checked her feet and this time they were more swollen than before and red. I quickly brought her inside to our inside coop to watch her. She was still eating and drinking though it was noticeable that she had lost weight. I was starting to get really nervous. I looked at forums on here and thought that it might be frostbite. So I bought gauze and animal spray to avoid infection incase her feet started to blister.
It has now almost been a week since she has been in our inside coop, her feet are still swollen and many of her blisters have popped. I rewrap her feet everyday to avoid infection.
Her feet are are grayish, greenish color and are still swollen since. She has lost her nail on one foot and still hasn't made any progress in moving them.
She is still alert and she is eating and drinking but hasn't made the effort to move.
I guess I'm wondering if she really has frostbite or is it something else.
Is she going to lose her feet because she hasn't moved in two weeks?
