A bruise? What about bumblefoot?

[BigBlueHen53]

I think @BigBlueHen53 is onto something.

First, her legs and feet are dirty, like chicken feet seem required to be, but I see no sign of scaly leg mites. And yes, it is correct that a chicken bruise is a faint green color.

So, how would a chicken get a bruise on top of the foot between the toes? It seems quite logical to assume another of the flock hauled off and gave her a peck there. It probably hurt like the dickens when it happened and likely still hurts.

You can baby her with an Epsom salt soak and chewable aspirin for the pain (one whole tablet twice a day) or do nothing. It will heal in about a week. Keep an eye on it for it turning black which would tell us she's developed a staph infection. Oh, and the others were correct in pointing out you may be risking bumblefoot bruising and infection with only a thin layer of bedding. Most bumblefoot begins with bruising when hopping off the perch onto a hard surface. Maybe you should check all the feet,

Thank you @azygous, both for the correction (leg mites) and the validation (bruising).

 

[MedusaSnake]

Update- her bruise is still there but she has been eating and walking around. The bruise is still the same color. The air quality has gotten bad here due to a recent fire but hopefully, this doesn't upset the girls too much.

 

[MedusaSnake]

Update 2- the bruise is still there. She has normal chicken behavior but has started molting. Should I start treating it now that it has been more than a week since she got it?

 

[azygous]

Just a bruise? No infection or a black scab? There is no bumblefoot without infection and a scab.

 

[MedusaSnake]

Just a bruise? No infection or a black scab? There is no bumblefoot without infection and a scab.

Yes there is no scab

 

[azygous]

That's good. It means that so far the bruise is healing without getting infected. But keep an eye on it. If a scab develops with signs of inflammation in the tissue around it, treat it immediately. Bumblefoot is so much easier to treat when caught early.

There should be a lot less pain by now. I hope the patient is more happy and active.