The Old Folks Home

[chickadoodles]

Congrats Peep!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Ok who is ready to help with my biddy foot mystery? I posted about a week ago that one of my birds outside had swollen toes. You guys suggested frostbite, and with my weather, that was likely. I brought the bird indoors but nothing has progressed to frostbite, and in fact nothing has changed at all, really. The right foot is much more swollen, in places, than the left.

We have a lot of bumble here, but this isn't bumble. There's no wound or scab. The swelling is localized in odd places, like the tip of her back toe and her middle toe joint.







I put her in the foot soak spa for about 15 minutes in some hot water to clean the feet so I could examine for wounds better. I can't see anything.

Any ideas?

 

[Alaskan]

did she break it?

Is she super old and this is chicken arthritis???

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I can't imagine she'd break it in more than one place like that, but maybe.

She is "old" but not super old... think she's 5, maybe.

I see from the pictures that her "scales" are slightly lifted, maybe it's scaly leg mites??

 

[Peep_Show]

I still think frostbite.

 

[Peep_Show]

Toes/Feet
Frostbite in the feet will become discolored and swollen if severe enough. If there is infection, the swelling will feel hot. In such cases the chicken will not be able to even move her toes or stand up. To treat frostbitten feet you'll need to wash them with lukewarm water. First, bring the chicken in from the cold but into the coolest place in the house so that she warms up slowly and doesn't burn up. Once she has gotten used to the warmth, wash her feet with epsom salt. Keep her isolated in a box with towels and lots of water. Healing can take anywhere from a day to a couple months. If your bird got frostbite bad enough and you didn't treat it early then, sadly, the frostbitten parts will shrivel up and fall off resulting in a lame chicken.

 

[Alaskan]

but peep, the color of the feet looks very good.

Frostbite definitely messes with the coloring.

 

[ozexpat]

I can't imagine she'd break it in more than one place like that, but maybe.

She is "old" but not super old... think she's 5, maybe.

I see from the pictures that her "scales" are slightly lifted, maybe it's scaly leg mites??

try aspirating a swollen area to see of there is fluid.

 

[bamadude]

try aspirating a swollen area to see of there is fluid.

I will not make a she said joke

 

[Peep_Show]

How's the temperature on the feet? Feel hot?