Pullet's feet fell off! What in the world???

[jossanne]

I have a batch of 11wk old chicks that live in a cage with a plastic-covered 1/2" mesh floor, with a waste catcher tray directly underneath and no run. A week ago I noticed one penedesenca was weak and not standing well, but didn't see anything physically wrong with her except a little swelling in her legs. I put her in a separate cage with food and water close. I have to admit I didn't keep too close an eye on her because my dad passed away and we have been dealing with that, and have just gone out in the morning to fill her feed and water. She seemed like she was getting around better, and I hadn't picked her up to look her over for a week. This morning I went out to feed and water, and noticed she wasn't getting around at all. I picked her up and she was skin and bones, and one foot was hanging by skin. The other was completely off, laying on the cage floor. The feet were off at the joint. We are in the desert southwest, 90+ degree days, 60 degree nights. We immediately put her down and I didn't take pictures.

ANY idea what could have possibly caused the problem? She seems to be the only one affected out of a very active group of chicks. TIA!

 

[TwoChicksChix]

It could be that she got bumble foot from the mesh floor of the original cage and ended up getting a serious infection.

 

[jossanne]

There was no swelling in her feet. The swelling when I first looked at her seemed to be on her shanks and stopped at her ankles. The feet looked completely normal, except that they were not attached to her body...

 

[TwoChicksChix]

Could she have mites or flies that are causing an issue?

 

[DiYMama540]

Is there any way her feet could have gotten stuck in the mesh and broken?
Sorry for the loss of you father and chick...rough days I'm sure

 

[That_australian_lad]

pics plz

 

[BYC910]

Sorry for your loss Dads are a tough loss .As to the chick I don't know . Half inch mesh for eleven week old chicks . That sounds fine . How is feed and water set up? Look for a catch point .Some where the legs could have been trapped for a long tome A few things come to mind total lose of circulation to the lower leg .The other is possible under development of the veins in the lower leg . Were there signs of infection?

 

[jossanne]

pics plz

No pictures, sorry. We discovered her this morning when we were leaving for work, so we put her down quickly and went to work.

The water is a plastic, 1 gallon waterer. The feed dish is the little metal kind that is threaded for mason jars, with no jar attached. There don't seem to be any catch points for her legs, and her feet were too big to fit through the mesh. The roost is only about 12" above the floor, and the roof of the cage is just high enough for her to stand on the roost. I haven't seen her roosting at all since we moved her, and she was walking (although weakly) when we moved her to solitary confinement.

This is the cage she was in, with the side up and latched the whole time she's been in it. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/ware-chick-n-hutch-2-4-bird-capacity

 

[Kiki]

Have you noticed any rat or mice droppings? I'm wondering if maybe a rat could have been eating at her feet.

 

[Eggcessive]

Scaly leg mites can actually cause toes and feet to fall off. Rats or another animal would have been another thought with a wire cloth flooring. Wire flooring can be hard on their feet. Sorry for your loss.