Stiff black feet

[JacinLarkwell]

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. @JacinLarkwell can I text her that pic?

Of course. I'll keep looking to see if I have any of the actual black stiff feet

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Here's some more I found from last year. The first two are a before and after. You can see how her feet turned from a healthy pink to black. The last picture presented oddly, his only affected the first layer of skin it seemed and healed okay when moved into a cage he couldn't get to snow in.

Spoiler: Images

 

[rural mouse]

Here's some more I found from last year. The first two are a before and after. You can see how her feet turned from a healthy pink to black. The last picture presented oddly, his only affected the first layer of skin it seemed and healed okay when moved into a cage he couldn't get to snow in.

Spoiler: Images

View attachment 3690287View attachment 3690286View attachment 3690288

She says these pics look just like them. Advice on treatment to keep the legs?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

She says these pics look just like them. Advice on treatment to keep the legs?

If the legs have already died like in the pics I sent, there isn't anything you can really do unfortunately, especially with large birds. They'll eventually self amputate at the point between healthy and dead tissue, leaving just the stumps. Some people try to get or make prosthetic feet for their birds.

I have a hen who only lost one leg last year and she does okay, but she's a light, maybe 3 pound bird, so there isn't a ton of weight on her remaining foot all the time, and she has found ways to rest and take some weight off that leg (like leaning against a beam enough to have her keel support some weight).

When it gets cold and snowy, I do foot checks with anyone I see acting even the tiniest bit off. If the foot is stiff or frozen solid, I'll take them inside and slowly warm the foot up (too fast and it damages the tissue more). Then you have to keep it clean and so far just kind of hope you caught it in time. I have a few birds that I was able to thaw their feet enough to save them, most ended up losing a majority of their toes though.

I haven't yet found out what is causing it other than them being able to walk in snow and it never happened before a few years ago. I know my birds aren't standing in water, they are covering their feet at night, they have access to dry places and aren't stuck somewhere with drafts.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

If chicken feet are like our skin, more or less, frostbite can happen with just one exposure. Stepping in mud then those bits freezing could account for the scabs. The weather switching around way above and way below freezing might make this scenario possible. Care for frostbite is extra protection from cold for the skin affected while whatever doesn’t die heals. Can your niece do that? Might mean bringing them inside or keeping them very well sheltered until it is clear what the damage is. Pain meds could help with their comfort. Baby Tylenol maybe?

 

[rural mouse]

If the legs have already died like in the pics I sent, there isn't anything you can really do unfortunately, especially with large birds. They'll eventually self amputate at the point between healthy and dead tissue, leaving just the stumps. Some people try to get or make prosthetic feet for their birds.

I have a hen who only lost one leg last year and she does okay, but she's a light, maybe 3 pound bird, so there isn't a ton of weight on her remaining foot all the time, and she has found ways to rest and take some weight off that leg (like leaning against a beam enough to have her keel support some weight).

When it gets cold and snowy, I do foot checks with anyone I see acting even the tiniest bit off. If the foot is stiff or frozen solid, I'll take them inside and slowly warm the foot up (too fast and it damages the tissue more). Then you have to keep it clean and so far just kind of hope you caught it in time. I have a few birds that I was able to thaw their feet enough to save them, most ended up losing a majority of their toes though.

I haven't yet found out what is causing it other than them being able to walk in snow and it never happened before a few years ago. I know my birds aren't standing in water, they are covering their feet at night, they have access to dry places and aren't stuck somewhere with drafts.

I'll pass this on to her.

 

[rural mouse]

I haven't yet found out what is causing it other than them being able to walk in snow and it never happened before a few years ago. I know my birds aren't standing in water, they are covering their feet at night, they have access to dry places and aren't stuck somewhere with drafts.

Interesting. Wonder what changed...

And how wide-spread it is...

 

[ChicoryBlue]

She says these pics look just like them. Advice on treatment to keep the legs?

And @JacinLarkwell like your hen, @Kris5902 had a rooster that had a stump for a foot, I think he lost it in a predator attack. He got around fine, though maybe he was on the pad of his foot, just all his toes missing, I don’t remember.

 

[Kris5902]

And @JacinLarkwell like your hen, @Kris5902 had a rooster that had a stump for a foot, I think he lost it in a predator attack. He got around fine, though maybe he was on the pad of his foot, just all his toes missing, I don’t remember.

I’ve had more than my share of foot issues… usually Bumble, SLM, or injuries. I’ve never had one lose an entire foot, although I have had several loose use of one of their feet or their toes. I generally wait and see, attempt a little rehab, but I don’t have a ton of experience with frostbite… only on combs and wattles. Hoppy would limp along, but that was an upper leg issue. Scarface, the boy I think you mean has completely lost use of his right leg, but still has his foot with blood flow. Unfortunately his quality of life has been severely affected by this and he has one week left at most here before we move out and I can no longer accommodate his injury.

To me those pictures honestly look like normal dark scaled feet/legs, just missing a few scales exposing the pink scale bed/skin underneath. I would check for blood flow (warm?) and feeling in the toes (poke with something on the toe web while looking for a reaction), and if there is grip/movement in the feet. If it is frostbite in both feet going that far up the legs, there won’t be any quality of life unfortunately IMO. Short of frostbite or losing bloodflow I don’t know of anything else that would turn a whole foot/leg black.

 

[rural mouse]

I’ve had more than my share of foot issues… usually Bumble, SLM, or injuries. I’ve never had one lose an entire foot, although I have had several loose use of one of their feet or their toes. I generally wait and see, attempt a little rehab, but I don’t have a ton of experience with frostbite… only on combs and wattles. Hoppy would limp along, but that was an upper leg issue. Scarface, the boy I think you mean has completely lost use of his right leg, but still has his foot with blood flow. Unfortunately his quality of life has been severely affected by this and he has one week left at most here before we move out and I can no longer accommodate his injury.

To me those pictures honestly look like normal dark scaled feet/legs, just missing a few scales exposing the pink scale bed/skin underneath. I would check for blood flow (warm?) and feeling in the toes (poke with something on the toe web while looking for a reaction), and if there is grip/movement in the feet. If it is frostbite in both feet going that far up the legs, there won’t be any quality of life unfortunately IMO. Short of frostbite or losing bloodflow I don’t know of anything else that would turn a whole foot/leg black.

Legs were warm, but no movement.