Stiff black feet

[rural mouse]

Niece has taken over caring for grandma's flock (when grandma passed away). Has 2 birds who have had both legs turn black, leaving a band of normal skin where the feathers stop. They can stand, but they cannot move their toes. Flesh feels warm, so they're keeping their feet warm. There are no noticeable injuries on the birds. Vetricyn has been applied anyway. Not sure how long, but birds look alert. Any ideas what caused or possible treatments?

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have pictures of the legs? Is it winter there, and what have the low temps been? If it is frostbite, they may self-amputate below the normal skin. That can take weeks or a month or so. I can say more once a picture is posted.

 

[rural mouse]

Do you have pictures of the legs? Is it winter there, and what have the low temps been? If it is frostbite, they may self-amputate below the normal skin. That can take weeks or a month or so. I can say more once a picture is posted.

No pics and by the time I get there tomorrow, it will be dark. This is the ENTIRE leg up to within a half inch of the feathers from the body. Both legs.

 

[Eggcessive]

What is your general location in the world? How low have the temperatures been?

 

[rural mouse]

What is your general location in the world? How low have the temperatures been?

Temps have been highs in mid 40s/low 50s F, lows mid to upper 20s. Today snow (not much) for the first time in a month. Not sure how long the 2 have been like this, but I think between 1 and 2 weeks. The rest of the flock is fine. No issues. These 2 have been with the rest the entire time, so no being out all night.

We all have enough experience with frostbite that I can say with certainty that it is NOT that (unless somehow they stood in water all night, with their body feathers just above the water surface). Not possible as the only water that deep is the horse trough and its even deeper.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have not frostbite unless temps were in the zero F range in January or Feb. Then it was just toe tips or a comb. Pictures would be very helpful. Is the coloring normal on other parts of body?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Really sounds like frostbite. I have to deal with it every winter, with birds that are nit being soaked in water bowls over night. Need pictures though to have much guess

 

[rural mouse]

Comb and wattles are fine, I think.

@JacinLarkwell it will be dark before I get out there tomorrow, but will try for pics. SW MT is similar but different from your neck of the woods. I'll text her and see if she's can send me more info.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I couldn't find any photos from last year that showed it nicely, but here's an image of a cockerel that had what I'm suspecting last winter. Not the best image, but you can see the clear divide halfway down his leg from healthy to dying tissue despite my best efforts to save the legs.

Spoiler: Image

 

[rural mouse]

Her words:

2 weeks ago it started out as just weird limps, then scabs, then slightly black and then last week completely black


My words: one of these is the one that incubator hatched in early may. Made it out of the shell by itself, tottered around with a severely bent neck. She nursed it, helped it drink, did PT with it, got the neck straight and had it running around with the rest, no discernable issues.

No pics but when I looked at one of the 2, legs looked like black feathered bird legs (like jersey giant for example), except for the white skin ring at the top and the soles matched the rest of the legs. Her description with the scabs does start to sound like the pics look like....she says No. Scabs didn't look like that