Bumblefoot spreading through the flock

Date sort Score sort
CityGirlintheCountry

CityGirlintheCountry

Green Eggs and Hamlet
12 Years
Jul 7, 2007
6,950
145
311
Middle TN
So I started with one hen with bumblefoot. My research said to clean the foot, coat with blu-kote and give a shot of Pen-G. Did that. She was still limping, but the blister between her toes starting shrinking. A week or two later a second hen was limping. Did the same treatment and started really watching the flock.
Further research indicates that we are going to need a little foot surgery to get the plug out. I am waiting on a second set of hands to come help (hopefully in a week or so). In the meantime I have at least 5 of them limping now. All have plugs in their feet. ??????? What is causing this to spread through the flock? They have been in this coop for almost a year now. The roosts are in the same place and nothing has chanced in the coop. They are free-ranging now that summer is here, but theoretically that should make them healthier. Food is the same. Water is the same (except I have started adding ACV to their water). I'm using the same pine shavings from the co-op and TSC. What is going on with their feet?

My only thought is to completely scrub the coop down with a hefty disinfectant and perhaps change out the roost posts with new 2x4s. Dunno. Should I try to rearrange the roosts? Right now there are four of them that space up like steps. The chickens hop up and down from one to another. I'm at a loss here. I just need to stop the bumblefoot! I'm already freaked about having to treat the current cases. I can't keep adding more!
 
I feel for you. We have fought this for years. We do periodically re-sand and oil the roosts, but mine freerange on rocky, thorny ground and therein lies the problem. It's not spreading from bird to bird, but more are getting abrasions on their feet and picking up staph germs. Heavy birds are worse off than lighter weight ones and if they jump down from high places, that can start it.
 
So if it's staph will a good strong cleaner like Oxine or StallSafe kill off the staph bacteria?

And really, do I have to slice their foot open to get the plug out? Is there any way to treat this without cutting on their feet? That just seems so fraught with peril.

I just can't figure out where they are banging up their feet. My yard is flat and grassy. It can only be the roosts, but I can't figure out why it's starting all of a sudden.
idunno.gif


It is happening in my LF coop and not my banty coop. Hmmm.
 
if the roosts are shaped wrong or are too close to the ground (allowing them to hop off without needing to flap their wings) then the force of impact can cause it, especially if the ground is hard or has rocky chunks or big chunks of bedding.
 
Quote:
I thought the same thing "fraught with peril" (I like that phrase)
but I had two hens that I gave antibiotics to and kept clean soaked and soaked but nothing worked
three days ago I decided to go ahead and cut them open the first was just on the middle toe and the biggest pus core came out it was the size of a peanut. anyway the hen has been doing very well since. the other was actually in the second hens foot pad and I just had a large amount of pus and blood come out but she also seems to be doing better they are still limping around on their bandages but a marked difference on the amount of wieght they are putting on their feet. I still have them separated from the flock and will continue to do so until I feel they are well. Their cages are close to each other.
 
In people, staph is essentially always present on the skin, where it causes no problem until the skin is broken. (Mind you, there are a bunch of kinds of staph.) Don't know whether this applies to chickens or not, but would guess so, esp. since people handle them. The infection is staph, but the root cause is the injury. Trick is figuring out what is causing the injury, which can be a real challenge -- or like Speckledhen, you may know the cause and be powerless against it.
 
My 18 month old Coo Coo Moran I have had for 2 weeks, suddenly appears to have Bumble foot. This was 48 hours ago and yesterday a.m- I started her on Amoxicilina at 500 mg. It already looks worse, not better.
I also have another anti-biotics, called Ciprofloxacino same Mg. and Oxyteracycline (Anybody know whats best?) It is disturbing to see this is going through your flock- and would brake my hart!.
I shall isolate mine right away! How long has this been going on? What have you tried?
My friend and long time vet tech friend is very scared for me to cut this out since its so contagious, and she thinks it would be better to destroy the bird and protect the flock.
Any Ideas or Insight would be wonderful. Thank
You!

Sad in Dunwoody, Ga.
Jennie
 
Quote:
Your choice, of course. But people cut the cores out all the time. Just wear some gloves, and wash up afterwards. The germs are everywhere; putting down this chicken will not protect the flock. I wonder if she is thinking of MRSA, a particular strain of staph with a lot of antibiotic resistance, which is primarily found in places like hospitals where antibiotic use is high. Actually, it is a good example of why I would not recommend any antibiotic.

Speckledhen has dealt with bumblefoot extensively. She stopped using systemic antibiotics, because they made no apparent difference, just cuts the core out, and keeps the wound dressed and the bird caged til well. (If you choose this route, I'd suggest hunting up a thread of hers on the subject.)
 
My dad has volunteered to help hold the chickens while I try for the plug. But he is coming off of three months of chemo and his immune system is shot. Is there a problem with him being exposed to this staph infection? I really, really don't want my dad to get anything!
 

Similar threads

L
    • Like
Help with advanced bumblefoot?
Replies
5
Views
889
coach723
coach723
D
    • Wow
Is this bumblefoot?
Replies
8
Views
1K
Penelope G
P
LocalBirdEnjoyer
Scared my hen has bumblefoot...
Replies
5
Views
372
LocalBirdEnjoyer
LocalBirdEnjoyer
Kailcar
Bumblefoot? Foot injury?
Replies
4
Views
702
Kailcar
Kailcar
K
Chicken limp, bumblefoot?
Replies
3
Views
949
Wyorp Rock
Wyorp Rock

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom