- Oct 26, 2007
- 683
- 11
- 161
Over the past couple months, I began to notice that one of my hens had a swollen ankle. I just kept my eye on it for awhile. She wasn't limping. She's 8.,.....so I expected some problems.
About a week ago, I picked her up and noticed a huge scab on the bottom of her foot and and hard knot in-between her toes. I began her on Baytril, since I had some.
Today, I prepared my bathroom like I was going to do open heart surgery. haha I soaked her feet in epsom salts and had my husband hold her down, while I expected to have to do some unpredictable surgery. I had a pair of tweezers and pulled a little on the scab, but it wouldn't budge. I pulled a little harder, and the whole thing came out intact! Including that hard knot! The hole where this came out of looked just like normal skin! I'm thinking that the body had completely walled it off, and that maybe it wasn't causing any problems.........other than feeling like she was walking on a little stone. I still rinsed the hole out with diluted betadine and filled it with sugar and betadine and wrapped it up.
It will be interesting to see if her ankle swelling goes down. It may have had nothing to do with the knot and scab I removed. The whole thing looks like a dark stone.
I'm thinking I could have just pulled it out in the coop and not even have given her any antibiotics, and it would all turn out the same..........since the skin in the whole looked healed. I didn't know what to expect, and didn't want to be in a dirty coop with a bleeding/infected foot. Maybe it was just an embedded stone and not bumblefoot at all???
Very curious.
I had read that many times it comes out with one lump....but this was pretty amazing. I almost don't want to keep giving her antibiotics, but I will for a couple days.
I'm relieved that it went so well.
About a week ago, I picked her up and noticed a huge scab on the bottom of her foot and and hard knot in-between her toes. I began her on Baytril, since I had some.
Today, I prepared my bathroom like I was going to do open heart surgery. haha I soaked her feet in epsom salts and had my husband hold her down, while I expected to have to do some unpredictable surgery. I had a pair of tweezers and pulled a little on the scab, but it wouldn't budge. I pulled a little harder, and the whole thing came out intact! Including that hard knot! The hole where this came out of looked just like normal skin! I'm thinking that the body had completely walled it off, and that maybe it wasn't causing any problems.........other than feeling like she was walking on a little stone. I still rinsed the hole out with diluted betadine and filled it with sugar and betadine and wrapped it up.
It will be interesting to see if her ankle swelling goes down. It may have had nothing to do with the knot and scab I removed. The whole thing looks like a dark stone.
I'm thinking I could have just pulled it out in the coop and not even have given her any antibiotics, and it would all turn out the same..........since the skin in the whole looked healed. I didn't know what to expect, and didn't want to be in a dirty coop with a bleeding/infected foot. Maybe it was just an embedded stone and not bumblefoot at all???
Very curious.
I had read that many times it comes out with one lump....but this was pretty amazing. I almost don't want to keep giving her antibiotics, but I will for a couple days.
I'm relieved that it went so well.
