If I don't do anything about my hens' bumblefoot, will it hurt them?

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wordgirl

wordgirl

One of the Shire-folk
12 Years
Apr 14, 2009
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Three (
ep.gif
) of my six hens have bumblefoot on one or both feet - would it really hurt them if I did nothing? What actually happens if you let bumblefoot go?
 
I think bumblefoot is an infection...if so...it could kill them I would think if left to worsen over time. I'd definately do something about it.
 
Bumblefoot is an infection, if it not treated there is a very good chance it will get progressively worse, causing some extreme swelling and pain. I don't know if it could actually kill them, I am new to chickens, but still...who wants an infected chicken limping around on swollen, infected, painful feet? Type bumblefoot into the search box at the top of the page and you could probably find some pretty grusome and graphic pics of bumblefoot. I would not let one of my chickens suffer with that. There was a thread on here about a treatment that was good and didn't involve surgery if you did it soon enough. It was a medicine you got from a fish store, that you mixed up in distilled water. I can't remember the whole name but it started with "Neo"...something. You soaked the infected foot in it, then you could wrap it in vet wrap. You could try that.
 
Fix it. The above poster is right! Chickens, like most birds, hide any and all signs of pain and weakness, so their behavior just isn't very reliable to go on. They often won't show distress until they are ready to give up and die.
 
You definitely need to do a search for bumblefoot and treat accordingly, after you ascertain the diagnosis is correct.

The next step would be to find the cause, obviously something in the cleaning department needs to be adjusted!

Good luck, you have quite a job there! It MUST be attended to, it causes pain.
 
There is a good thread by "ruth" on bumblefoot surgery. You may want to peruse that one. You need to try to do something about it, yes. As far as cleaning, honestly, if you have rocky, thorny soil, you'll have bumblefoot in your flock at one time or another. You can sand the roosts smooth and oil them and have deep shavings to cushion their landings, but if they run around in rocky soil, they can get abrasions that lead to bumblefoot. I know from experience living on a mountain full of sharp sandstone ledges and cowvine.
 
I followed Ruth's directions and my first case of bumblefoot taken care of in no time. Chicken hardly noticed, but sure walks better these days.
 
I went through this reciently and my Roo was in pain, could not walk and his toe was hugh. I tried the Neo?????? soak but the toe just got bigger, maybe it was too far gone I dont know but I gave that up. Ruth gave me lots of advise and I finally did surgery. It wasnt fun but it was either that or I would have to put him down. He is doing pretty good now, at least he can walk around and peck and act like a Rooster. Do something, it is painful and the longer you wait the less likely you will be successful. Good Luck! Terri
 
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