Another Bumblefoot Post

[Lrpete]

I have a 4 yo RIR that I recently noticed had very long and twisted middle toenails as well as a couple other long nails. When she walked, you could tell she was having difficulty because she would “high step” both feet when she walked and her toes/feet were deforming a bit due to the long nails. Also, her pad looked swollen and had two small black scabs on it.

Several days ago I read a lengthy article about bumblefoot on this forum and thought that what I was looking at was bumblefoot because of the black spots. So, I brought her in the house, washed her foot well with a washcloth and soap/water and cleaned it with betadine (I totally forgot about the epsom salt soak!). I then trimmed her extra long nails and used a scalpel to remove the scabs. I squeezed the pad to see if there was a core that I could get out, but nothing. The pad was soft rather than hard, and I had expected it to be hard If there was a core.

After I finished the nail trimming and surgery, I used clotting powder to stop the minor amount of bleeding from nails and pad. I totally forgot the Neosporin before wrapping her foot with a non-stick pad and vet wrap. When she was all wrapped up I took her back to the coop and put her in a dog crate by herself. She is already walking more easily and isn’t lifting her feet up in a “high step.

I’m hoping I did the right things for this girl and she’ll be ok, but I’m worried about forgetting the neosporin!

In addition to the extra long nails I noticed that she is also growing ”spurs“ that you can see in the pictures. I didn’t know females would do this. Fortunately, they’re blunt…not that she’d do anything with them anyway! They don’t seem to bother her, so I’m going to leave them alone.

Finally, as I was bandaging her foot, I had a little critter crawl up my hand. Very, very tiny and sort of a translucent tan in color. I started going though her feathers and saw another one crawling on her. I don’t know if these are a type of flea or mite and don’t know what to do about it. I haven’t noticed any of my chickens scratching themselves and I haven’t looked to see if any of the others have them as well. I suppose if one has them, the rest will too.

I’m attaching some pictures so you can help me diagnose the foot problem and let me know if I did the right thing. Thanks everyone!

 

[Lrpete]

One other thing. The scales on her toes look really bad. They’re thick and raised off the tissue like they’re about to slough off. What could cause that and what can I do about it?

 

[Sally PB]

It sounds like your chickens have lice and/or mites. The lifted scales on the feet is caused by scaly leg mites, which are another kind of mite, different from the ones that live on the feathers.

There are a lot of threads on treating both.

I suppose if one has them, the rest will too.

That is probably a good assumption. If you do need to treat for lice/mites, you will need to treat the coop as well.

 

[Lrpete]

It sounds like your chickens have lice and/or mites. The lifted scales on the feet is caused by scaly leg mites, which are another kind of mite, different from the ones that live on the feathers.

There are a lot of threads on treating both.

That is probably a good assumption. If you do need to treat for lice/mites, you will need to treat the coop as well.

Whatever these little critters are, they are now in my hair! Now, what do I do? I’ve killed at least 6 of the little buggers!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If you have bugs crawling on you, your hen has lice or mites. To get them off you, shower with soapy water.

Now for your hen. Bugs crawling, treat her with a Permethrin based poultry spray or dust, you can find these at TSC. Treat in 7 day intervals. Treat your coop/housing too and other hens too.

She has some raised scales which likely indicate Scaly Leg Mites. These mites live under the scales of the feet and legs, so dust or spray will not reach them. You want to smother those, so slather on some vaseline, castor oil or NuStock cream, working the oils up and underneath the scales of the legs and feet. Do this at least once a week. If there's a lot of dirt and debris under the scales, it may be helpful to give the legs a soak first and gently scrub some of that dirt/debris (mite poop) from the legs before you apply your oils.

For her foot. I would try to give it a daily soak. You can use epsom salts if you wish. Looking at the photo, personally I would swab the scabs with Chlorhexidine, let that dry for a few minutes, then put on your little piece of non stick pad and wrap the foot. I would forgo the neosporin. Again, this is my opinion and what I would do. I would be looking for the scabs to dry up. Do this for a few days, then take some more photos and let us see. The foot may need neosporin, it may not, chlorhexidine seems to be very effective by itself, but every situation is a little different.

 

[Lrpete]

If you have bugs crawling on you, your hen has lice or mites. To get them off you, shower with soapy water.

Now for your hen. Bugs crawling, treat her with a Permethrin based poultry spray or dust, you can find these at TSC. Treat in 7 day intervals. Treat your coop/housing too and other hens too.

She has some raised scales which likely indicate Scaly Leg Mites. These mites live under the scales of the feet and legs, so dust or spray will not reach them. You want to smother those, so slather on some vaseline, castor oil or NuStock cream, working the oils up and underneath the scales of the legs and feet. Do this at least once a week. If there's a lot of dirt and debris under the scales, it may be helpful to give the legs a soak first and gently scrub some of that dirt/debris (mite poop) from the legs before you apply your oils.

For her foot. I would try to give it a daily soak. You can use epsom salts if you wish. Looking at the photo, personally I would swab the scabs with Chlorhexidine, let that dry for a few minutes, then put on your little piece of non stick pad and wrap the foot. I would forgo the neosporin. Again, this is my opinion and what I would do. I would be looking for the scabs to dry up. Do this for a few days, then take some more photos and let us see. The foot may need neosporin, it may not, chlorhexidine seems to be very effective by itself, but every situation is a little different.

Thank you so much for your help! I don’t have any of the supplies you suggested. I have to go to the city today and will pick up some spray, powder, vaseline, and chlorhexidine. However, I don’t know where to get chlorhexidine. Do farm stores carry it?

I also have a problem with the weather. I can treat the chickens with powder, but I can’t treat the coop. Our temps are in the single digits for the rest of the week and won’t get above freezing during the day until Saturday or Sunday, and then, just the low 30’s. I may have to just keep treating these chickens for a while until it’s warm enough to clean the coop. Any suggestions?

 

[Lrpete]

If you have bugs crawling on you, your hen has lice or mites. To get them off you, shower with soapy water.

Now for your hen. Bugs crawling, treat her with a Permethrin based poultry spray or dust, you can find these at TSC. Treat in 7 day intervals. Treat your coop/housing too and other hens too.

She has some raised scales which likely indicate Scaly Leg Mites. These mites live under the scales of the feet and legs, so dust or spray will not reach them. You want to smother those, so slather on some vaseline, castor oil or NuStock cream, working the oils up and underneath the scales of the legs and feet. Do this at least once a week. If there's a lot of dirt and debris under the scales, it may be helpful to give the legs a soak first and gently scrub some of that dirt/debris (mite poop) from the legs before you apply your oils.

For her foot. I would try to give it a daily soak. You can use epsom salts if you wish. Looking at the photo, personally I would swab the scabs with Chlorhexidine, let that dry for a few minutes, then put on your little piece of non stick pad and wrap the foot. I would forgo the neosporin. Again, this is my opinion and what I would do. I would be looking for the scabs to dry up. Do this for a few days, then take some more photos and let us see. The foot may need neosporin, it may not, chlorhexidine seems to be very effective by itself, but every situation is a little different.

This is going to sound like a dumb question, but this is the first time I’ve had to treat my chickens for anything! How do I soak her feet? Do I just put some warm water in a tub and let her stand in it? I assume I’ll have to hold her so she doesn’t jump out. She’s not big on being held.

 

[coach723]

You can use powder on the birds, put the powder in a bag, put the chicken in the bag with the head sticking out, hold the bag firm around the neck, shake the bag to distribute the powder on the birds and into the feathers well, down to the skin, particularly around the vent and under the wings. Much better when it's cold out than spray and trying to get them dry. Spray works better in the nooks and crannies of the coop, but if it's too cold, then remove all the bedding and nesting material and dust the coop with powder as best you can making sure to get it into as many nooks and crannies as you can, especially around roosts. Then you can replace the bedding/nesting with fresh material. The removed stuff may be full of bugs and their eggs, so burning it is good if you can. But discard it far from your coop. You will still need to repeat at 7 day intervals until you've gotten them all. If you are still having any issues then once it warms up I would spray the coop with a liquid spray then.
Many feed stores and tractor supply stores carry chlorhexidine, you can also get it at pharmacies or walmart, it will be labeled as chlorhexidine gluconate.
You can use a tub or basin or even the sink to soak the feet. I have a rubbermaid tote I use.
Just enough water for her to stand in and yes, you may have to hold her. Many birds relax once they get in the warm water. Make sure she's thoroughly dry before going back out into the cold.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[Lrpete]

You can use powder on the birds, put the powder in a bag, put the chicken in the bag with the head sticking out, hold the bag firm around the neck, shake the bag to distribute the powder on the birds and into the feathers well, down to the skin, particularly around the vent and under the wings. Much better when it's cold out than spray and trying to get them dry. Spray works better in the nooks and crannies of the coop, but if it's too cold, then remove all the bedding and nesting material and dust the coop with powder as best you can making sure to get it into as many nooks and crannies as you can, especially around roosts. Then you can replace the bedding/nesting with fresh material. The removed stuff may be full of bugs and their eggs, so burning it is good if you can. But discard it far from your coop. You will still need to repeat at 7 day intervals until you've gotten them all. If you are still having any issues then once it warms up I would spray the coop with a liquid spray then.
Many feed stores and tractor supply stores carry chlorhexidine, you can also get it at pharmacies or walmart, it will be labeled as chlorhexidine gluconate.
You can use a tub or basin or even the sink to soak the feet. I have a rubbermaid tote I use.
Just enough water for her to stand in and yes, you may have to hold her. Many birds relax once they get in the warm water. Make sure she's thoroughly dry before going back out into the cold.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

Thank you so much for the advice!

Just one question: after I shake her in the bag, do I dip her in an egg wash, shake again, then throw her in the fryer?

 

[coach723]

LOL!
But seriously, yuck! Permethrin is not in a food group.
It would be easier than plucking for sure, if only.