Vet suggestion for non-invasive bumblefoot cure

[artsyrobin]

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do you have pictures of your roosts? i wonder with my cochin girls, if the boards are too rough, no one else has gotten it

 

[artsyrobin]

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the lowest price i've found online is $20, anyone find it cheaper?

 

[Miss Lydia]

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the lowest price i've found online is $20, anyone find it cheaper?

Thats what I paid, $20.00.

 

[mdbokc]

I did what dawg did for the roosts except for lowering them. I planed and smoothed all edges. There are no sharp or rough edges anywhere for them to have land on or leap from. Keeping the pressure on their feet as even as reasonably possible similar to a tree limb...only flatter obviously. I use 2x4s.

 

[dawg53]

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do you have pictures of your roosts? i wonder with my cochin girls, if the boards are too rough, no one else has gotten it

Here you go:

 

[artsyrobin]

thanks! that helps- we have a metal shed for a coop- wonder if the fan set up like yours would keep it cool enough in the summer? also, would natural branches work better than 2 x 4's?

 

[dawg53]

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The coop is elevated on landscaping timbers 3' off the ground. All the vents are screened to keep bugs out. I bought the fan at walmart several years ago and it's blowing the air out the back vent, fresh air comes in through the side vents that keeps the inside air circulated. We get temps in the middle-upper 90's with very high humidity. I'm not using any 2x4's for roosts...maybe it appears that way in the pic. They are 1.5"x1.5" smooth strips of board I purchased at Lowe's (forgot what you call them lol.) They are 8' long and the coop is 16' long x 5'5" wide. The coop is all wood, a metal shed would be hotter. Perhaps 2 fans might work for you, one at the entrance and one at the rear...if that's possible. I used 2 fans last year like that because of the record heat we had...98-102 each day for almost an entire month. I had the fans on 'high' during the day and 'low' at night, not blowing directly on the chickens. It worked out really well. I dont see any reason why you cant use natural branches as roosts...I've used them for that purpose before. I just made sure there wernt any burrs on them to cause bumblefoot.

 

[artsyrobin]

ok, rounded roosts- lower to the floor- right now they are 4 feet, should they be lowered? ordered some of the Tricide, need to get the distilled water- checked my hens other foot- 2 black spots... sheesh! so with the soak, it should clear up in a couple days?

 

[dawg53]

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This past January I gutted the interior and came up with what you saw in the pic. I was looking to save time from cleaning. This has worked well for me, less time consuming lol. I lowered the roosts by almost 1.5 feet. They are now only 1 foot above the floor. I have heavy breeds as well...Barred Rocks. When they were hopping down off the high roosts, they were injuring their legs, like sprains, causing them to limp...then it was the hospital cage for them for about a week for R&R til they healed. Lowering the roosts eliminated that problem. I recommend you lower your roosts to prevent the same thing I went through with my BR's.
Here's some advice with bumblefoot: Although you see the scabs, minor surgery or tricide neo treatment MAY not be necessary. Those scabs can disappear on their own sometimes. You have to monitor them and watch for these signs that will require you to do the minor surgery or use tricide neo: Limping, redness around the scab, swelling. If you dont see any of these and you go digging after the bumble, it wont be there and all the chicken will do is bleed, cause her pain and stress as well as your wasted time. I learned this lesson a long time ago.
Tricide neo works. Smaller scabs with bumblefoot clears up in about a week or a little longer, the larger and more infected ones take several weeks or months... depending how severe it is.

 

[artsyrobin]

ok, thanks- will lower the roosts- most likely an issue- ordered the tricide, and hopefully that will eliminate the issues- i have one of my redstars which is a real heavy girl...