My hen, Dora, is a 4 year old Road Island Red. A couple weeks ago I noticed her foot seemed a little swollen. There was a slight bulge between two of her toes. It didn't look too bad and wasn't slowing her down any, so I left it be. Today I saw her foot again and it seemed very slightly bigger. Maybe my judgement is off on whether it grew, but nevertheless it's still there.
Both of the feet for comparison. The one with the arrow pointing to it is the foot in question.
Where the arrow is pointing is where the bulge is. From this angle you can kind of tell that the base of the foot (ankle?) is a bit swollen.
Here's is her spur. She just started growing it, her other foot doesn't have one. I know some hens will grow spurs but I figured I'd bring it up since it's on the foot that's having problems.
Under her foot. Looks normal, no scabs to be seen.
She still walks and runs like normal, so it isn't causing problems. I know it doesn't look too bad, but the reason I'm concerned is that I know sometimes bumblefoot will show up as a scabless bulge between toes. If it is bumblefoot then it can get worse and since there's no scab then I need a plan to tackle it. I have also read from some other threads that in older hens, such as mine, foot problems like arthritis can cause swelling. I guess she's old enough for that?
I would also like to add that towards the end of last year, she developed an enlarged abdomen. You can read about that in detail here. I have done no treatment for this. Could the added weight be causing some foot problems?
ALSO!! While reviewing my pictures, I noticed a few raised scales on the OTHER foot. Could this be scaly leg mites, or just a simple injury? I'll check the rest of my flock tonight for raised scales as well.
Any help/suggestions is appreciated!
Both of the feet for comparison. The one with the arrow pointing to it is the foot in question.
Where the arrow is pointing is where the bulge is. From this angle you can kind of tell that the base of the foot (ankle?) is a bit swollen.
Here's is her spur. She just started growing it, her other foot doesn't have one. I know some hens will grow spurs but I figured I'd bring it up since it's on the foot that's having problems.
Under her foot. Looks normal, no scabs to be seen.
She still walks and runs like normal, so it isn't causing problems. I know it doesn't look too bad, but the reason I'm concerned is that I know sometimes bumblefoot will show up as a scabless bulge between toes. If it is bumblefoot then it can get worse and since there's no scab then I need a plan to tackle it. I have also read from some other threads that in older hens, such as mine, foot problems like arthritis can cause swelling. I guess she's old enough for that?
I would also like to add that towards the end of last year, she developed an enlarged abdomen. You can read about that in detail here. I have done no treatment for this. Could the added weight be causing some foot problems?
ALSO!! While reviewing my pictures, I noticed a few raised scales on the OTHER foot. Could this be scaly leg mites, or just a simple injury? I'll check the rest of my flock tonight for raised scales as well.
Any help/suggestions is appreciated!
