Beginnings of Bumblefoot?

[TreeChick]

Hello chicken friends, I noticed one of my hens very subtly limping today and upon inspecting her feet I found two scab like circles on the bottom of each of her feet on the meaty ‘palm’ area. I looked it up online and it seems like early stages of Bumblefoot. I soaked her feet in warm Epsom salt then sanitized the scabs with hydrogen peroxide applied neosporne and wrapped eat foot. I now have her isolated keeping an eye on it over the next few days... can anyone confirm is this indeed looking like Bumblefoot and also is there anything further I should do to help her??

 

[M-H-Fielding]

It does look like bumble foot to me. Try soaking her feet in epsum salts.

 

[Isaac 0]

It does appear to be Bumblefoot. If you continue to soak her feet, you should be achieve softening of the core (eschar), to the point it can be easily excavated out with a pair of tweezers, and/or a scalpel. Subsequent to the removal of the core, bandaging, and application of an antibacterial ointment should be done to prevent reoccurring infection in the footpads until the are is fairly scabbed. Hydrogen peroxide is ok for initial wound cleaning, but repeated use can cause unnecessary damage to healthy cells.

Bumblefoot or "Pododermatsis" can be set on by several conditions, but rough bedding, or perches that promote degradation, and ulceration of the superficial epidermis allowing bacterial penetration can be noted as a predisposing factor in some cases. Screws, rocks, that may poke through the skin may allow bacteria to flush inside the skin. Understanding common causes of bumblefoot, and correcting them, will likely help further problems from occurring in the future.

 

[TreeChick]

Thank you for your reply and explanation! I will continue to do the Epsom salts to soften it I’ve ordered some things to do the surgery have been reading up on it... seems pretty straightforward to remove.

The baffling thing is the cause - this hen never roosts at night. She always sleeps on the floor of the coop which is lined with wood chip that seems standard. I clean it daily so it stays as clean as I can realistically manage. I did read that bumblefoot can be caused from too much running - this hen was recently integrated into a flock of 5 so there was about a month of lots of chasing around the pen by the other birds. She’s well accepted now but I wonder if she cut or injured her foot from that time.

It does appear to be Bumblefoot. If you continue to soak her feet, you should be achieve softening of the core (eschar), to the point it can be easily excavated out with a pair of tweezers, and/or a scalpel. Subsequent to the removal of the core, bandaging, and application of an antibacterial ointment should be done to prevent reoccurring infection in the footpads until the are is fairly scabbed. Hydrogen peroxide is ok for initial wound cleaning, but repeated use can cause unnecessary damage to healthy cells.

Bumblefoot or "Pododermatsis" can be set on by several conditions, but rough bedding, or perches that promote degradation, and ulceration of the superficial epidermis allowing bacterial penetration can be noted as a predisposing factor in some cases. Screws, rocks, that may poke through the skin may allow bacteria to flush inside the skin. Understanding common causes of bumblefoot, and correcting them, will likely help further problems from occurring in the future.