Advice for bloody feathered foot?

[Kellyferreter]

My favorite hen, an 18-month-old Light Brahma who is moulting, had a bloody foot tonight so I brought her inside to wash it up. I expected to find a broken blood feather to pull, but what I found appears to be many dark scabs. What are they and how should they be treated? Thanks for any advice!

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

I haven't seen this before. I would just keep washing it and see if the scans heal. If they get worse, stick some more photos of it up here and maybe we can figure it out.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Feather-footed chickens seem to suffer so much. Those scabs are probably other feather problems, maybe broken or ingrown feathers. I'd treat it with Vetericyn and antibiotic ointment, maybe.

When weather gets wet, I trim my girls' foot feathers to keep them from getting too caked with mud/poo. I also find that their feet look worse the older they get from years of abuse. I feel bad for them, honestly. Seems a little like torture.

I wonder if she's been pecking at the feathers. It cannot feel good for those feathers to come poking through.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

It can happen with feathered footed chickens as it happened to mine before. I agree that molting can make them uncomfortable. If so, spray with blue kote it is an antiseptic. I would watch to see that no other chicken is pecking at her. I rubbed some bag balm on mine when this happened as it is an antiseptic also and I had it on hand.