Faeces stuck to skin and caused a sore

Date sort Score sort
origami.bullets

origami.bullets

In the Brooder
10 Years
Jul 4, 2009
27
1
24
My 3 year old Orpington hen went broody about 5 or 6 weeks ago, but in such a half-hearted way that I didn't really need to break her up. Anyway, she lost all her feathers around her breast, and hasn't really regrown them (due to our current heatwave?).

Today, when I picked her up, I noticed that there was a small lump of poo stuck to her bare skin. I had a look at it and decided to sponge it off. Underneath, I found this:

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For scale - the fingers at the top are my dainty female ones, the ones below are more average male ones!
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This picture shows how the whole area is raised. The arrows point to the two 'sores'.
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I would suspect that she sat down on some wet poo and it simply stuck to her skin as it dried out, and caused this sore. However, the Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow has failed me and I would like to know what it is, and - more importantly - how to treat it.

P.S. it doesn't appear to be very sore or tender as she doesn't mind us touching it, and the bits around the edge are very hard - almost like nail.
 
Just spotted the list of questions that I need to answer in a post on this forum!

1) What type of bird , age and weight.
Standard Orpington hen, a little over 3 years, feels about the right weight i.e. neither under nor overweight
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
n/a, although she doesn't seem to be bothered by it
3) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
Only as seen in the photo
4) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
Lump of faeces stuck to her breast area
5) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
Yes - ad-lib layers pellets and water, and she had her portion of a handful of grain thrown into the run last night.
6) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Unsure, although she did have a slightly mucky rear end.
7) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Sponged off the poo and put a little disinfectant on (the type normally used for grazes etc. in humans)
8 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
I have a preference for treating at home if possible - the vet is long way away, fuel is expensive, as are vets bills, and we are on an enforced economy drive atm. However, if really necessary then I will take her to a vet.
9) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
See above
10) Describe the housing/bedding in use
A wooden coop that is about 2 foot off the ground, with a dirt run outside (no free ranging here because we are in the city and next door's dog would have them for dinner). The bedding is woodshavings, although I recently had to switch suppliers due our normal supplier running out (apparently there is a shortage of woodshavings due to house building slowing down). The woodshavings are dust-extracted, and probably intended for horses originally.
 
You will need to continue to clean and treat the wound at least daily. Use saline (1 tsp salt to 1 qt boiled water.) As long as it looks dirty, flush it well twice a day. You can use a well diluted Betadine solution if it looks dirty, or just use saline. Do not use Betadine long term as it will interfere with growth of new tissue. Then apply Neosporin or a similar antibiotic ointment. Give her some plain live culture yogurt for the gut bacteria, and be sure she eats and drinks. She would do best kept isolated in something like a dog cage. She must be kept in a clean area, off the ground. An old blanket or something similar would be ideal bedding for now.

It almost looks like there are maggots in that wound. Look for little wiggly wormy looking things. If they are present, you must pick them out, and keep watching for them and getting them out.

A systemic antibiotic might be needed as well. Probably a penicillin or lincocin from the feed store.

Others will no doubt chime in with instructions. Main thing is, keep cleaning it, keep her clean, and keep ensuring she eats and drinks.
 
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I like the sound of what DDawn has written. It looks to me to be similar to bumblefoot (an infection in the foot caused by walking in soiled bedding) - sores/burns from the "wet" droppings. I'd start off by cleaning the area as best as possible, treating with a topical antibiotic (as you're doing now) and monitor closely. You may need to step up to a broad spectrum antibiotic, but keep the wound clean, dry, and covered in topical antibiotic.
 
If you choose an antibiotic, I would highly recommend the ones that ddawn has stated. Penicillin and lincomycin are indicated for this as is Baytril (from a vet). Other more broad spectrum antibiotics are not.

If you do use antibiotics, be sure to give PRObiotics daily to help reduce the number of beneficial bacteria that are unfortunately killed while the bad bacteria are killed. Give daily during medication period, every other day for 2 weeks thereafter.

Unless you're using a mycin drug (lincomycin for example) or a cycline drug, you can use yogurt (plain, unflavored, no bits) at a rate of 1 teaspoon per adult bird once daily. Mix in something the bird will eat, give at the opposite time of the day from when antibiotics are freshly given. Some birds will eat this on its own without mixing into something else.

Otherwise, use acidophilis capsules/tablets from the grocery/pharmacy's vitamin section. Contents of one capsule or one crushed tablet daily per bird as above. Mix into just enough water to make a paste - squirt into the side of the mouth, or mix into a tiny (1 teaspoon) bit of something they'll eat.

Probios and other prepared livestock probiotics (only live culture, not the ones that are simply by-products or fermentation) also do wonders. I like to keep a bottle of Probios around - the small bottle goes for about $8 and lasts for ages in the fridge - it ends up less expensive than yogurt and can be used for healthy birds to increase vigor and food utilization.

Injectable antibiotics are preferred.

And I agree with ddawn that I see something within the wound that needs to go - maggot or shavings. If you use iodine, dilute it with warm water til it's the color of a weakish tea. Pat dry after washing the wound with it - don't rinse with water. Thereafter, use antibiotic ointment (neosporin, corona, etc) as needed. Keep the wound dry and clean.
 
Quote:
Ummm, bumblefoot is usually caused by puncture, as from thorns or rocks or other sharp items. Droppings in themselves will not usually cause this. Not that they would not contribute after the puncture, of course. It is a staph infection.
 
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Incidentally, flooring conditions and bad roosts will also cause bumblefoot. That's one reason that if *I* get to choose my chicken's roosts, I always use flat boards to prevent bumblefoot from roosting on round roosts. (I rarely get to choose the roosts though - right now my chickens are all roosting on my horse stall and I had to move his feeders sigh.)

It can also be caused by a combination of moisture (which breaks down the protective barrier of the skin and allows bacteria, such as staph, to enter) and abrasion. Technically feces could cause problems and are often a cause of raptor and falcon bumblefoot. But they do so by means of some break in the skin - then the entry of the S. aureus which requires very specific antibiotics and is a real pain to treat. I've unfortunately had a lot of experience with this bacteria as I (purposefully) purchased a cockatoo who mutilated his leg. I feel sorry for anyone that has to battle it.

And since we're on this subject (grin) keeping antibacterial ointment on that wound is the best way to help prevent staph. The ointment is less effective at treating it after the fact, but will help to prevent an additional staph infection from occurring (if it hasn't already).
 
Hi all, thanks very much for your responses. If there are maggots, surely they would be visible and moving? We certainly did not see anything moving in the wound. I think it may be more of a chemical burn than rotting flesh IYSWIM.

Because I am not in the US, I will have to find some alternative products!
I have found this as an alternative to Betadine

Antibiotics tend to be pretty much prescription only
barnie.gif
, and all I could find for a topical antibiotic was this and this. Is an iodine solution, as mentioned by threehorses, an alternative to the topical antibiotics?

Because of the prescription-only laws, I have no chance of getting a systemic antibiotic without going to the vet, although I will go if necessary.

I found this for an antiseptic ointment, as mentioned in threehorses' last post.

Happily enough, however, biolive yoghurt is easily available! Please let me know if you think that the above products are suitable alternatives.
 
Sorry for the American jargon. Your Betadine alternative is the same thing as Betadine; actual name is providone iodine. If my memory serves (and it may not!) I think triple antibiotic ointment is available without a prescription in the UK, for people, and that is what Neosporin is; it's just a first aid ointment for minor cuts. It is a lot easier than an iodine preparation is on healing tissue. Once the wound is clean, I'd hate to see you continue with any iodine for that reason. Better a diaper rash preparation for babies.

Yes, you would see maggots moving. It was just hard to tell from the photos; you worked hard to get some good photos, but that's just the nature of photos.

With a little luck and some wound care, the systemic antibiotics may not be necessary, especially if there is no rotting flesh in there. My personal inclination is usually to avoid them anyway. Sounds like your judgment will be fine on whether the vet trip is necessary.

Good luck!
 

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