One hen suddenly has pale, pale almost pink legs!!

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
I blocked the wind from getting in... see, there was/is wind advisories... which doesn't help at all. We aren't used to cold like this for this long down here, and I had no idea what made her legs like that.

I'm going to put vasaline on all their legs later (so it will still be there when night falls), and I may try to move the light closer if I can without setting it all on fire.

They huddle pretty good. I get 4 on one perch and 5 on the other. She is the most timid of them all, so I think maybe she doesn't get to huddle up as much. I'm thinking of putting her in the house in a dog kennel... but then everyone else is out there and now with one less to keep each other warm.

 

[aveca]

Your doing your best stacy, it has been a bad year. I have 2 heaters going and a heat lamp and my beloved rooster still got it bad. He decided to barge his way outside and I thank god happened to look out the window and found him cowered in the corner of his pen with minus 15 winds blowing over him and that real icey snow. Its 55 - 60 inside his house so why he decided to squeezed his way out no one knows, and I went out and herded him back inside, but in that few minutes he got it bad.....I guess he figured a week snowed in the coop was enough for him and out he went....The hens on the other hand move toward comfort and heat so not a single problem with them. They are comfot queens and dont care weather they go outside or not. they stayin by the heat and food dish. I just feel real bad about my pet roo. Vet said she is overwhelmed with it. Befor this year we have never had any of it...

Funny my moms mutt chickens like I said no heat no nothing except food water and roost and they are all right as rain, go figure.. he has some of the most oddball looking chickens I have ever seen, but cute too. that barn doesnt really have any drafts thou.

The hospital I work at ER said they are getting record cases of people with the frostbite..fingers toes noses ears and even just skin like on the back of your leg. the docs said those areas will always be sensitive to very low temps for looong time to come. every year they will feel it where the damage was done depending on severity.

They should make chicken hats and boots.althou that wasnt enough for the people who got it too.

 

[tnchickenut]

Lynne, you say I'm funny? lol Chicken hats!


Just so I inform everyone. I used those emergancy blankets (the metalic ones) and cut it up... then covered the wire mesh windows with them. I put the heat lamp in the coop (it was just out of it up against one of these wire mesh windows). Then I added about 8 inches of hay. I chose hay over straw because it is softer. I figure when my hands start to hurt from the cold, all things scratchy are torture. I put in a thermometer and it read 38F about 2 hours later (that was purposely put right out of the direct heat - so it probrably is warmer for them right in front of it.)

Spring better get here fast.

I bet frostbite is bad right now. I started to show signs of frostbite last night working on a quick fix for the chickens. Hands were cold, then numb, and then red. I can only imagine if I had a outdoor job (oh wait, I do with these birds - that's daytime, though).

 

[tnchickenut]

Update:

After two days in the coop with the temps above freezing, it seemed she wasn't getting much better... if anything she was limping worse.

I googled around and found that there is a thing called "mud fever" which is basicly where there is bacteria in the mud and causing the infection. I have already bought the medication for it. I just wanted to put this out there incase someone else has the issue. I learned that it is a winter problem... mainly for horses, but chickens get it too.

The treatment is to keep them out of the mud (duh) and there is a medication for it (BMD Soluble) and I got my pack from Jefferslivestock.com
You also should clean their feet... this is scarey for me since the temps are so cold and I'm still afraid there was some frostbite involved too. I think what I'm going to have to do is bring her in the house to clean her legs and feet and make sure she id dry before I take her back out.

Boy are they mad at me for keeping them in... I did it because it snowed (again) and I still was thinking it was frostbite, now I know that they are going to have to stay in for a good long time. See, people... always make your coop bigger than the minimum. You never know when they have to be grounded.