Bumblefoot all over feet?

[talkinboutchickens]

Hey! That definitely looks like bumblefoot to me. Our chickens had that a couple months back and this is what we did: To treat it you need to remove the scabs to flush the cavity. Do an epsom salt soak first to soften them, then using clean tweezers remove it and flush inside with vetericyn & a wound spray (I used well & good wound spray from petco). The scabs may bleed when removed, but know you are helping your boy. Then, wrap with neosporin (with no pain relief). I used a sterile pad, then gauze, and some tape to secure it. You gotta wrap around the toes and up the ankle a bit for it to stay. In the beginning, we changed the bandages every day. Once it started to get better, we changed them every 3 ish days (whenever they fell off or looked too dirty) Best of luck

Yes, that is exactly what I did. I can't say it worked but that's because the bumblefoot in my hen was caused by a weird unknown illness/disease, it was not normal bumblefoot. The root cause was thought to be cancer.

You will need:
a scalpel
antiobiotic ointment
non-stick gauze and athletic tape
vetericyn
paper towel

Put on your gloves to start off.
Loosen up the scabs by soaking his feet in a warm Epsom salt bath, you can put him in a bath tub or a laundry room sink. I know this sounds terrifying, but I used a scalpel to ease the scab off, he shouldn't react to it much. No doubt that they feel pain, though.
Put him in a towel and cover his head.

Using tweezers, try to find the "kernel" inside of the foot, this is just basically a chunk of yellowish tissue that acts as a plug. Sometimes it can take on the form of whitish strings.
If any blood comes out while trying, dab his foot with paper towel, too much blood isn't expected.
Take the kernel out, place it on a piece of paper towel to throw away later. Spray with your vetricyn spray, you will reapply it a few times every day.
Now apply your ointment, you can use polysporin which can be found at the drugstore.
Place a nice piece of gauze onto his wound, and then athletic tape on top to keep it in place.
I would keep him inside until he is healed, you don't want any infection to start after he goes right back into his run after the surgery. Instead, keep him in a cage and avoid using any perches. Use hay for the bedding, it is a good alternative to using perches because he can nestle down into the hay and go to sleep in it.

I would check all your other chickens for bumblefoot.
Remember to sanitize your sink/counter wherever you did the surgery at, and wash all your tools and throw away the kernel/plug/core.
After applying vetricyn, replace the old bandages with new ones.

Some alternatives for doing surgery are:
take him to the vet
keep on soaking his feet and see what happens.

Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions!!!!

how to do bumblefoot sugery

 

[Lillith37]

Thanks I will look into those food options! Is the all flock / grower pellet fine for the hens as well? We have oyster shells / crushed egg shells available for the hens and with treats it’s maybe only 2 times a week.

Yes it should be okay. It’s a bit tricky having a mixed flock and balancing the protein and calcium for everyone. But the hens should be able to get their calcium from the oyster shell. If anyone starts to have troubles with weak shells or soft shelled eggs you may need to consider going back to the layer.

Hopefully it’s contact dermatitis like Wyorp said and your boy will heal up in time.

You could try mixing sand into the wetter/muddier parts to help drainage? My yard turns into a swamp during spring as well and we have another La Niña year forecast…