Big sore on foot

[cmobley]

Feels liquid inside not sure if I should pop it and put something on it?

 

[Sally PB]

That is bumble foot. The pus kernel is so large, it's pushing up through the skin on the top of the foot.

Search here on BYC for what to do.

 

[addctd2plnts]

As a Podiatrist and duck owner, you need to take a tissue nipper and cut off the hard scab on the bottom. As soon as you do this there will be a lot of pus. Have somebody hold the bird and don't worry. It hurts a LOT with all that pus in there and it feels dramatically better after you get it out. Don't worry if it bleeds, it has to be done or the infection will go into the bone and that's bad. Once you squeeze all the pus out. Use a put some Hibiclens (found in the wound care section at the pharmacy) in some warm water and soak the foot for 10 minutes. 10 minutes with Hibiclens kills all bacteria, yeast, fungus and viruses for a full 24 hours. Then you might bandage but do not do it it too tightly if you use vetwrap because it can cut off the circulation. Otherwise keep it on puppy pee pads in a crate inside the house and change them several times a day. You do not want flies to lay eggs in the wound so it needs to be inside. After 3-5 days of daily soaks and keeping it clean, they can go back outside, if it healed over.

 

[cmobley]

As a Podiatrist and duck owner, you need to take a tissue nipper and cut off the hard scab on the bottom. As soon as you do this there will be a lot of pus. Have somebody hold the bird and don't worry. It hurts a LOT with all that pus in there and it feels dramatically better after you get it out. Don't worry if it bleeds, it has to be done or the infection will go into the bone and that's bad. Once you squeeze all the pus out. Use a put some Hibiclens (found in the wound care section at the pharmacy) in some warm water and soak the foot for 10 minutes. 10 minutes with Hibiclens kills all bacteria, yeast, fungus and viruses for a full 24 hours. Then you might bandage but do not do it it too tightly if you use vetwrap because it can cut off the circulation. Otherwise keep it on puppy pee pads in a crate inside the house and change them several times a day. You do not want flies to lay eggs in the wound so it needs to be inside. After 3-5 days of daily soaks and keeping it clean, they can go back outside, if it healed over.

I’m married to a nurse so scabs and puss is right up her alley. I’m pretty sure we have everything else on hand to do what you mentioned thanks.

 

[cmobley]

One last question where does bumble foot come from so I can keep a watch out for future problems

 

[LTAY1946]

My wife is going to love this as I am pretty sure I've got a roo with Bumble Foot starting. Wife is an old school Dr. Pimple Popper. Yes she's a retired nurse not and still like to mess around playing doc with the chickens and sometimes even me when some swells or is bleeding or lethargic or any other symptom she thinks is off. I might as well get the Hibiclens early in the morning and catch that roo before I let the girls out on the grass.

 

[Sally PB]

One last question where does bumble foot come from so I can keep a watch out for future problems

It's a staph infection. Any scrap or cut can get infected and cause it. Chickens walk around on dirt and chicken poop, so an infection in a cut in the skin is understandable.

What you can do to help prevent its recurrence is give the chickens a soft surface to land on (from jumping down from the roost, eg.) and remove sharp edges that they could cut themselves on, like sharp bits of gravel.

For OP, in case you didn't know, pus in chickens is not liquid, like with mammals. It's a solid, cheesy substance.

 

[cmobley]

It's a staph infection. Any scrap or cut can get infected and cause it. Chickens walk around on dirt and chicken poop, so an infection in a cut in the skin is understandable.

What you can do to help prevent its recurrence is give the chickens a soft surface to land on (from jumping down from the roost, eg.) and remove sharp edges that they could cut themselves on, like sharp bits of gravel.

For OP, in case you didn't know, pus in chickens is not liquid, like with mammals. It's a solid, cheesy substance.

When we pulled the scab off it looked like cheese stuck to the bottom of it. Somehow my wife climbed in the hole and looked around lol. Anyway she’s cleaned up and wrapped up and in a carrier to herself so she’ll be fine. I have had this on duck feet I didn’t know chickens would get it to.

 

[LTAY1946]

I caught my RIR Roo this afternoon late and he definitely has Bumble Foot. He's occupying a cardboard box tonight and his surgery is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. The stock of Hibiclens is out of date so I will get new bottle in the morning. I think I had better go through both major flocks and check all the birds even if it will take several hours to get them all done. I do not want any of them to suffer like this Roo is.

 

[addctd2plnts]

When we pulled the scab off it looked like cheese stuck to the bottom of it. Somehow my wife climbed in the hole and looked around lol. Anyway she’s cleaned up and wrapped up and in a carrier to herself so she’ll be fine. I have had this on duck feet I didn’t know chickens would get it to.

Yes, it's only more liquid if you catch it really early. In the begnning if it's just secondary to a thick callus, it gets liquid similar to a blister under it. But once bacteria get in, it tends to look cheesy LOL Your wife is now an honorary Chicken Podiatrist! LOL