Advice please! Is this Bumblefoot?

[Melymark]

Hi friends,

Our favorite chicken (Clover) is favouring her leg. She stretches it out behind her with each step, and she hasn’t gone up to roost in weeks. I did find a black spot underneath on her back toe (the smallest one), but she also has been battling other conditions recently (mites & anemia). Both her feet are swollen between the toes. She is 3 years old, a lavender Orpington, and had a month long battle with mites that made her so weak, we almost lost her. She has recovered fairly well, eats & drinks good and is generally happy. We got the mites under control (or so I thought), but while treating her foot, we just found more.

I am off to battle mites in the coop this afternoon, and treat Miss Clover, but looking for some guidance on her feet. We have been soaking them in epsom salt and they seem leak clear fluid afterwards. The swelling has gone down by about half, but should we be concerned about the black spot on her toe? Could the swelling be from mites or from being anemic, or is it Bumblefoot that needs treatment?

Thanks for your advice and help. She is a sweet hen who doesn’t know she isn’t a dog. She loves to cuddle and is happy as punch to spend a night or two inside with us.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

[Rose the Legbar]

There may be an underlying issue with her feet as there is a lot of swelling there. I will @Wyorp Rock and @Eggcessive to see what they have to say about your girl.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She stretches it out behind her with each step, and she hasn’t gone up to roost in weeks. I did find a black spot underneath on her back toe (the smallest one), but she also has been battling other conditions recently (mites & anemia). Both her feet are swollen between the toes. She is 3 years old, a lavender Orpington, and had a month long battle with mites that made her so weak, we almost lost her.

We have been soaking them in epsom salt and they seem leak clear fluid afterwards. The swelling has gone down by about half, but should we be concerned about the black spot on her toe? Could the swelling be from mites or from being anemic, or is it Bumblefoot that needs treatment?

How are you treating the mites?

I'd work on getting rid of them that are on her asap. You can use a Permethrin based poultry dust to dust her really well, make sure to work through the feathers all the way down to the skin. Repeat in 5 days intervals.

Ivermectin is another option.

Housing/cages need to be cleaned and treated in 5 days intervals as well. Mites can be hard to get rid of.

The feet leak liquid from where after you soak them - from between the toes, from the place on her back toe?

Hard to see between the toes on both feet, can you get a photo of that. I know it can be a challenge, chickens wiggle all over the place.

 

[Eggcessive]

What all do you feed her? Hard to say, but some hens suffer from the articular form of gout, which can cause swollen toes with a lumpy appearance. Be diligent treating for mites. They can get on your and in the house.

 

[Melymark]

It’s from between the toes, and then the swelling goes down. After a long soak in epsom salts the swelling between the toes almost look like a blister filled with water. There is no real swelling around the black on her toe

 

[Melymark]

What all do you feed her? Hard to say, but some hens suffer from the articular form of gout, which can cause swollen toes with a lumpy appearance. Be diligent treating for mites. They can get on your and in the house.

She is on egg layer feed, with occasional meal worms, corn for the winter (last feed of the day), and oats as treats, but about every third day. We hatched and raised our hens at home, but due to city regulations we board them 40 minutes away. We visit them every 2-3 days to care for them, and take them home if anyone needs attention. They are 5 super friendly chickens. They run to us every time they hear our car pull up. The active goal is to move to a home where we can have them live on our property. We love our chickens that much.

 

[Melymark]

How are you treating the mites?

I'd work on getting rid of them that are on her asap. You can use a Permethrin based poultry dust to dust her really well, make sure to work through the feathers all the way down to the skin. Repeat in 5 days intervals.

Ivermectin is another option.

Housing/cages need to be cleaned and treated in 5 days intervals as well. Mites can be hard to get rid of.

The feet leak liquid from where after you soak them - from between the toes, from the place on her back toe?

Hard to see between the toes on both feet, can you get a photo of that. I know it can be a challenge, chickens wiggle all over the place.

I just intensively cleaned the coop, sprayed permethrin and we treated the chickens with it as well. We did ivermectin previously as well (2 treatments a month ago). I didn’t dose the girls though today.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It’s from between the toes, and then the swelling goes down. After a long soak in epsom salts the swelling between the toes almost look like a blister filled with water. There is no real swelling around the black on her toe

How long has the swelling been going on?
What's the temperatures been like?

 

[Melymark]

How long has the swelling been going on?
What's the temperatures been like?

We just went through a cold snap of well below zero (-16C). I initially thought frostbite, as her feet/toes were stiff & and brought her in to warm up her feet and put them in luke warm water. We kept her in for 2 days, and that’s when we noticed the swelling.

 

[Melymark]

How long has the swelling been going on?
What's the temperatures been like?

I think her feet have been swollen since the mites a month ago, but not like that. Just a little swelling before.