Has anyone any experience of frostbite on chickens feet?

[Scottishnewbie]

and if so can they give me any advice on both diagnosis and treatment please?

i have a sick girl, off her food, can hardly walk, swollen feet (at least twice normal size), have her on straw in unused cat carrier in the house at night and outside on our front lawn during the day (so no-one annoys her), she hardly walks and kind of shuffles and then either stands still or lies down, no walking around or scratching.

havent seen her pecking at herself and we dipped her feet in surgical spirit last night - she didnt flinch or make a fuss (almost like she couldnt even feel it) and then we smeared them in vaseline - again no response. also looked for mites but couldnt find any....kind of at a loss.

googles but couldnt find anything either

[its hilly]

Isnt there something chickens get called bumblefoot? Thats swollen feet? Maybe Abcess?
Hope someone with more experience can help more.

[jayjay giant]

Its a new one on me, I will search my books and see if I can help.
Fingers crossed for you.
JJ

[Two_Sheds]

Springwatch was explaining that birds don't suffer cold in their feet, because of a clever internal blood-cooling system

they don't stick to their perches in winter either (unless their feet are wet).

[Flummery]

Bumblefoot is caused by landing from a height. They sort of jar the feet and make them sore. Don't know about the swollen feet though. It needs someone with greater experience who might have come across it before.

[RichmondHens]

I haven't come across the symptoms you describe ScottishNewbie - I'm not aware that chickens can get frostbite in their feet, only their headgear. Bumblefoot is a type of abcess that forms on the sole of the foot, but the rest of the foot would look normal. It may be worth getting her checked out by your vet if she does not improve.

[Scottishnewbie]

i googled bumblefoot as i had heard of that but i dont think that's what it is. this morning she wont even come out the box though when i hold water to her, she does drink it. not eaten anything though. i'm going to leave her a day or two and then take her to the vet on friday if nothing is different. tried to look at her feet today and i think one of them just might be a little less swollen - but that might just be wishful thinking on my part!

forgot to add that internet says chickens CAN get frostbite on their feet...

[Flummery]

If she's not eating and feels light already, Friday might be pushing your luck. Can you get her looked at any earlier?

[Scottishnewbie]

tonights update....i put her in the garden for a bit today (just her so she had no-one else to worry about) and she came out - only about a foot from the box but at least she came out through choice. Saw her drinking and also having a wee stab at the corn - both of which i see as a really positive sign.

watched her when she was standing and i noticed that she does have some really black areas (like frostbite) and walking is very difficult for her. so i think, if anything, she is a wee teeny bit better...still think there is a long way to go though

[Eco-Chic]

Can't help you with the foot problem, but how about giving her a scrambled egg for protein, and make a very wet and loose mash of pellets with poultry spice and corn in so she's getting fed and watered at the same time.

Fingers cross that it isn't frostbite.

[Snadger]

Frostbite could be one of the reasons certain chooks have developed feathered feet?

[Scottishnewbie]

i think she's much worse today - she fell over when she was trying to walk and really struggled to get up. She is happy enough to eat and drink (will certainly give her scrambled eggs tomorrow for breakfast - great idea) ..it's just her legs dont seem to work properly anymore ...and the swelling doesnt seem to be going down any at all. though is she was in so much pain you'd think that she would feel so yuck that she wouldnt want to eat........

[frias]

I think chickens hide their pain and illness for fear of being picked on by the others. Perhaps it's time for the vet. I've been really lucky with my vet who turned out to be very knowledgable about chickens, which surprised me as I think I'm the only person in Bournemouth with them!

[tlck9]

my biggest regret with curly was ensuring she was feeding and getting enough, she went down very quickly and mostly I think because she wasnt eating enough to keep her going.

She fell over a couple of days before the end and although my friend started to force feed her (the only way0, it was too little too late

I wished now that I had force fed her sooner, so she had a fighting chance.

Trouble is, you dont know what is causing the underlying problem. If its the feet and with her not wanting to eat, she will become weak very quickly, you may need to drip feed her or roll some smalls balls of food up and drop them down into her throat, failing that get some liquid food down her quickly to try and build her strength perhaps every couple of hours

Sorry to sound bleak, but she sounds very weak and unhappy

[MrsC]

Sorry to hear about your girl. Would posting a picture help? It sounds like frostbite the same as in humans, but I'm no expert on this. Just a thought. Let us know how she gets on x