Matilda is going to lose her feet. :(

[Emma_Bruffy]

As stomach turning as this post is, I will never take warm weather for granted again. I couldn't imagine something like this happening to me because I would be completely lost. Hope she can recover the best she can

 

[humblehillsfarm]

You meant the first several words as a pun, right? Of course theres nothing funny about her situation, but since crying doesnt help im gonna laugh when i can. On a serious note, since the separation only happened 2 days ago, does that qualify as "well on the way to healing"? The bloody protuberance has dried out, but i think it could easily bleed again if Matilda pecks it.

Haha I honestly didn’t notice the pun. Yes you definitely do need to laugh even in the bad times. Tissue regrowth often looks like that and it takes a long time. I don’t know the medical words for what I am seeing, but I’ve had several large wounds affecting muscle tissue and total removal of skin from my own body and that’s yellow tissue looks very much like what I saw on my own body.

 

[black_cat]

Whoa!!! Thank you SO MUCH for making this thread, it has really opened my eyes to the dangers of frostbite. Out of curiosity, how do you think that she got in that position hanging upside down?
The general consensus that I have heard on BYC for wounds is always 'don't let it dry out', but I'm not 100% sure if that applies here. I'm wondering if you could wrap it but maybe poke small holes in the wrapping beforehand to allow for a bit more airflow?

Definitely following Matilda's story. You're taking amazing care of her!

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

As stomach turning as this post is, I will never take warm weather for granted again. I couldn't imagine something like this happening to me because I would be completely lost. Hope she can recover the best she can

I never imagined it happening either. Though winter nights here usually get into teens or even single digits at least once or twice yearly, i've never had any frostbite cases (other than ocassional rooster combs) at all. Most winter nights remain above e freezing. I always made sure they couldnt get their feet wet, very important since their water is served in large kiddie pools. I always dumped the pools during hard freezes, & that prevented any problems. I knew that metal conducts cold temperatures and makes the cold more severe During all the winter preps for the extended freeze, i never thought to remove that metal cage, used for temprary separations, broody jail, etc. I had almost never seen a chicken jump on top of it. I think Matilda may have jumped on the cage to get off of the snow. Possibly her feet were already beginning to freeze and lose feeling when she went to hop back down,. And she simply missed her aim and caught her spur on the edge. Ive seen other people with frostbite cases say they dont know how their birds could have possibly gotten their feet wet. If they have a metal waterer and the chicken perches on top, i can easily see frostbite happening. Even if the water is heated from the bottom, the top could still be freezing. Thats a big lesson i wanted to convey in Matilda's thread; its not just getting feet wet that can cause severe frostbite. The feet being in contact with metal certainly can too.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Whoa!!! Thank you SO MUCH for making this thread, it has really opened my eyes to the dangers of frostbite. Out of curiosity, how do you think that she got in that position hanging upside down?
The general consensus that I have heard on BYC for wounds is always 'don't let it dry out', but I'm not 100% sure if that applies here. I'm wondering if you could wrap it but maybe poke small holes in the wrapping beforehand to allow for a bit more airflow?

Definitely following Matilda's story. You're taking amazing care of her!

I coincidently answered your question re how i think she got into position hanging upside down when i just now replied to a comment 2 posts above yours. Thats my best guess. Most chickens never came out of their covered runs, & coops the whole time the snow was on the ground. (8 days). I opened their door for any that chose to come out. Matilda may have jumped on the cage because the concrete hen was already claimed. Photo is coincidently of Matilda's olive egger daughter Layla. Layla didnt get frostbite. Neither did anyone else who came out in the snow.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry I have missed a few direct questions and all these posts because of the time difference. Yes, metal in freezing weather can be a good place to get frostbite. I use a couple of metal garbage cans in my coop, and I have caught a hen trying to roost there a few times. My wire crate, I keep covered with a clean feed bag.

There is no right or wrong way to do things here. Everyone has different opinions. With wounds I prefer to keep them open, covered with plain antibiotic ointment and on clean towels or puppy pads. Dressings are hard to keep on chicken wounds, and with frostbite, getting vet wrap or tape too tight can make things worse if circulation is interrupted. The soaking can be once a day before healing in well on the way. I would just pick one of the Hibiclens, Epsom salt, or the Betadine.

I agree that no chicken should stay in a sling for more than a couple of hours at at time. They need time to rest and sleep and stretch. Feeding and watering are ideal during time in the sling.

You are doing a great job.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I never imagined it happening either. Though winter nights here usually get into teens or even single digits at least once or twice yearly, i've never had any frostbite cases (other than ocassional rooster combs) at all. Most winter nights remain above e freezing. I always made sure they couldnt get their feet wet, very important since their water is served in large kiddie pools. I always dumped the pools during hard freezes, & that prevented any problems. I knew that metal conducts cold temperatures and makes the cold more severe During all the winter preps for the extended freeze, i never thought to remove that metal cage, used for temprary separations, broody jail, etc. I had almost never seen a chicken jump on top of it. I think Matilda may have jumped on the cage to get off of the snow. Possibly her feet were already beginning to freeze and lose feeling when she went to hop back down,. And she simply missed her aim and caught her spur on the edge. Ive seen other people with frostbite cases say they dont know how their birds could have possibly gotten their feet wet. If they have a metal waterer and the chicken perches on top, i can easily see frostbite happening. Even if the water is heated from the bottom, the top could still be freezing. Thats a big lesson i wanted to convey in Matilda's thread; its not just getting feet wet that can cause severe frostbite. The feet being in contact with metal certainly can too.

I hope you aren't feeling too hard on yourself about this. You can be the most perfect chicken keeper in the world and still not control what your chickens decide to do. The odds of something this specific happening are one in a million! A chicken's gonna do what a chicken's gonna do.

As @Eggcessive said, you're doing an amazing job. You're kind of taking on a herculean task in the poultry world! I have a few hens for which I'd probably do the same if they were in the same situation.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

After info and advice given last night, i decided to add a few more photos taken today. First of all, @BGcoop , your input led me to more closely examine her stump this morn. The photo isnt super clear, plus i had already covered it in triple antibiotic before i thought to take a photo. But t it looks to me that the formerly bloody "blob" is only tissue, not bone. That is a HUGE relief. The now dried extension seems to extend only from the top of her foot, not the center, where the bone would be.

Yes, there are definitely differing opinions re whether to leave the foot covered or uncovered as it heals. I think for now i am going to go with my gut instinct and keep it LOOSEly wrapped, since she has pecked at the protusion while it is uncovered and drying. I will observe her and likely switch to unwrapped on puppy pads when she quits pecking at the stump. (Altho the same issue may soon occur on her right foot, when at the very least her toes begin to call off. )

I have read on other frostbite threads that people said their birds actually seemed more comfortable and became more mobile after the dead foot fell off. This has definitely proved true with Matilda. Almost immediately she began lifting herself off the ground more to preen. She definitely needs to be in the sling at least a couple hours daily since she doesnt remain upright very long, but i definitely see progress. I now have hope she Will begin to maneuver better after the right foot does its thing. She currently acts toward the right foot same as she did with the dead left one. Like she doesnt quite know how to use it,or where to place it.

As to caring for Matilda, i want to say this. I have other hens that scream blood murder if i so much as dare touch a feather. Intensive care with those hens would be impossible, & i would need to euthanize. But Matilda's temperment is incredible. I never had a clue how incredible until her accident. She has since gone on her first auto trip, first visit to another house other than her own, is nonplussed by a vacuum cleaner motoring around her laundry basket bed cleaning up escaped shavings, & many other "firsts". Nothing has fazed her. She raises up a bit in curiosity at first, then quickly settles back in contentment. She doesnt mind me stroking her feathers, seems to enjoy it actually. She makes no objections when i maneuver and contort her in different positions to treat her feet. I previously mentioned how relaxed and settled she was while resting in my lap. She does that every single time. I took a photo this morn and saw why she is so relaxed. Because she has fallen asleep!!! Matilda would make a Great therapy chicken, especially administering to recuperating amputees. I knew many people who did so with their certified therapy dogs, including an individual whose dog was awarded Texas Therapy Dog of The Year. I never had time to pursue that avenue with my own dogs, & with too many chickens and other obligations, i dont have spare time now. So Matilda will serve as my personal therapy chicken. Her accident was tragic, but she is a clear example of the adage "Every cloud has a silver lining." I would have missed knowing her if not for her injuries, & she seems glad for the individual attention too.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

After info and advice given last night, i decided to add a few more photos taken today. First of all, @BGcoop , your input led me to more closely examine her stump this morn. The photo isnt super clear, plus i had already covered it in triple antibiotic before i thought to take a photo. But t it looks to me that the formerly bloody "blob" is only tissue, not bone. That is a HUGE relief. The now dried extension seems to extend only from the top of her foot, not the center, where the bone would be.

Yes, there are definitely differing opinions re whether to leave the foot covered or uncovered as it heals. I think for now i am going to go with my gut instinct and keep it LOOSEly wrapped, since she has pecked at the protusion while it is uncovered and drying. I will observe her and likely switch to unwrapped on puppy pads when she quits pecking at the stump. (Altho the same issue may soon occur on her right foot, when at the very least her toes begin to call off. )

I have read on other frostbite threads that people said their birds actually seemed more comfortable and became more mobile after the dead foot fell off. This has definitely proved true with Matilda. Almost immediately she began lifting herself off the ground more to preen. She definitely needs to be in the sling at least a couple hours daily since she doesnt remain upright very long, but i definitely see progress. I now have hope she Will begin to maneuver better after the right foot does its thing. She currently acts toward the right foot same as she did with the dead left one. Like she doesnt quite know how to use it,or where to place it.

As to caring for Matilda, i want to say this. I have other hens that scream blood murder if i so much as dare touch a feather. Intensive care with those hens would be impossible, & i would need to euthanize. But Matilda's temperment is incredible. I never had a clue how incredible until her accident. She has since gone on her first auto trip, first visit to another house other than her own, is nonplussed by a vacuum cleaner motoring around her laundry basket bed cleaning up escaped shavings, & many other "firsts". Nothing has fazed her. She raises up a bit in curiosity at first, then quickly settles back in contentment. She doesnt mind me stroking her feathers, seems to enjoy it actually. She makes no objections when i maneuver and contort her in different positions to treat her feet. I previously mentioned how relaxed and settled she was while resting in my lap. She does that every single time. I took a photo this morn and saw why she is so relaxed. Because she has fallen asleep!!! Matilda would make a Great therapy chicken, especially administering to recuperating amputees. I knew many people who did so with their certified therapy dogs, including an individual whose dog was awarded Texas Therapy Dog of The Year. I never had time to pursue that avenue with my own dogs, & with too many chickens and other obligations, i dont have spare time now. So Matilda will serve as my personal therapy chicken. Her accident was tragic, but she is a clear example of the adage "Every cloud has a silver lining." I would have missed knowing her if not for her injuries, & she seems glad for the individual attention too.

I'm so glad everything is going so well and that Matilda is a perfect patient! And as odd as it may sound, she likely could make a very good therapy animal!

I used to do therapy work with my chihuahua (she's since retired as she's 14!) and the older people and children loved it. Some people had no one to visit them, so you could really see how happy it made them. So if you do actually do it I'm sure everyone would love her!

This whole thread is very inspirational. Before you know it, she'll be waddling all over the place!

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Photos. 1) stump with tissue appearing to extend only from top of leg, not the center where bone would be. 2) Definitely more willing to hold herself upright since right foot fell off. 3) Fell asleep in my lap. She just seems to collapse and melt. I dont know how long she would remain there, but this past weekend she was relaxed and content for an hour and a half. She was still relaxed when i finally needed to get up and put her back in her bed.