My chicken has bumblefoot and the vet estimate is $600

lizro said:

Hi everyone - hope you don't mind if I join in with this thread. I have a rescue hen with a scab on her foot but no swelling redness or difficulty walking. So I am assuming this is bumblefoot but hopefully resolving without 'surgery'. I did put Mag Sulph paste on it with a dressing but the soaking in epsom salts sounds good.

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kurley said:

About two weeks ago I noticed our hen was limping and I found a large swollen area on her foot. I researched this site and realized that she has bumblefoot. I removed the scab and cleaned it out as well as I could, packed it with triple antibiotic ointment, and bandaged it. I have changed the bandage every day for a week. The first couple of days I could see a big difference. The last few days it has plateaued. It seems obvious that the infection needs to be surgically removed. I've read some posts on this site and others and see that people perform the procedure on their own when an avian vet is not available. I do have an avian vet available, and just took the hen in to find that it would cost $450 - 600. We have 22 chickens that we keep for eggs and the enjoyment of having chickens in the yard. I can't afford this vet bill, and the vet was not willing to give me antibiotics or pain meds. Should I cull the bird? Try to cut out the infection without pain relievers or antibiotics? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

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