Frozen feet

I started a new thread for frozen feet since it affects all fowl, not just ducks. In my experience things that cause frozen feet include...

Extremely cold weather (duhhh!)
Metal perches
Thin or sharp edged perches
Dehydration
Wet feet

I would like to particularly address dehydration. It is extremely important your animals are well hydrated in the winter. I cannot emphasize this enough. Dehydration causes the body cells to become flaccid and more to freezing. Frozen cells die. They do not recover. Good hydration promotes good circulation and better resistance to freezing.

Things that help prevent frozen feet...

Heated water dispensers so the birds have access to water at all times.
Flat perches
Birds moving around and encouraging circulation to the feet.
Deep dry bedding

I have not had good luck treating birds with frozen solid feet. They usually rot and drop off. I put my birds down instead of letting them linger. I had one goose who got frozen feet a couple years ago. I brought her in the house and warmed her feet up slowly. They regained some of their color and became flexible again. However, it was clear they were permanently injured. She walked more slowly than the others, then faded and died that spring.

Can any one else contribute their experiences?

I have managed to save a couple ducks with frozen feet. They also walked a little slower and had a little harder time swimming the next year, but did survive and move on to being awesome mommas. I lost the one girl last winter after moving them into a better insulated building. but she had lived for 2 years with the frozen feet

As for chickens I have had both hens and roos with frozen feet that have survived and did just fine.

I just brought them into the house and let their feet thaw at room temp until they were better. I kept them in until the toes that were damaged fell off and then moved them back to my hen house at night and they fit back in. I do find they do not live as long as a bird that has not had their feet damaged, but can still live.

When I was new to my current area one of my hens froze her feet. I was ignorant and stupid and didn't realize it, and when I did notice a problem it was springtime and it was because her toes were breaking off. She ate and did everything normal, but I don't know that she laid any eggs after that. It must have been tremendously traumatic to her system. She did not thrive and she eventually died after living through another winter/spring and part of the summer. If I had the same happen now I would dispatch the bird at the first turn towards cold weather. I thought I was doing her a favour; that being alive and doing chicken-y things was better than the alternative, but I didn't account for the pain she must have felt in the cold, or the lack of vigour she experienced.

I''ve saved ducks with some webbing frozen. Usually I just keep them until I get replacements from them. We bring them in the house give them a round of tetracycline and a electrolyte. They stay in a cage in the backcourt till the frozen part has fallen off and healed. We only have done it with muscovys so far they seem to want to stand outside in the cold more then other breeds . We put them inside at night and give them lots of bedding and that's helped a lot.