black "scabs" on footpad, but no swelling/redness

[haTHOR]

bought three cuckoo marans today from less than ideal conditions, but i thought their feet were just muddy. birds look super healthy and all, but this stuff on their feet is freaking me out. i know this kind of black scab thing happens with bumblefoot, but what if there is no other sign of infection, redness or swelling?

age: 4 mos
sex: females
breed: cuckoo marans
housing/bedding: ark, w/ upstairs roost and pine shavings
eating: well--grass, mash w/ yogurt and feed, water with ACV

that's all i know since i've only had them a few hours. will post a pic shortly.

 

[haTHOR]

 

[crtrlovr]

are you sure it's not just very hardened, caked on feces? Have you tried soaking the feet in warm sudsy water? does it flake off or pick off at all around the edges? ???

 

[haTHOR]

it does flake off at the edges. but when i pulled harder the skin was pulled too...i was afraid to flake more off at that point. does this mean it's not bumblefoot? (PLEASE SAY YES!) i will soak tomorrow.

what kind of conditions must they have been in to have dried feces on their feet? the owner walked me by a good-sized chicken house that stank to high heaven but it was open (for cleaning, i hoped) and there were no birds in it. later i heard her say these birds i bought (and their hatchmates) had recently been moved to the pen they were in...it was a "normal" poor-people in the country chicken pen...caked dirt, no grass...but it definitely didn't have poop everywhere!

this makes me so sad for those birds! when i put them in the mobile coop where they'll be isolated for a couple weeks, they acted like they had never seen grass. putting all these things together...i bet they had lived in that awful dark chickenhouse for the last four months and basically lived in poop. ugh.

they ALL have this.

 

[crtrlovr]

They can have dried feces on their feet from walking through it at any point. Try gently picking at the "scabby" places with your fingernail or an old toothbrush. It may just flick right off. At any rate, I'm sure the chicken would be delighted to have it off her foot...

 

[haTHOR]

i just have not seen poop stay on my birds' feet, but they are in grass/shavings so i guess it always comes off after they step in it, before it could harden.

i guess once i soak it i can see...if poop it won't have a sore underneath it, correct?