Brumble foot?

[Autumn D]

foot with scab and other foot in comparison


Foot with scab from the top

foot with scab up close

buddy
I think my little bantam roo, Buddy, who suffered a rather unfortunate enconter with old man winter last year, may have brumble foot. I first noticed it 3-4 weeks ago with a loose scab covering it which i easily pulled off. I figured it was just a sore and would heal up pretty quick but there really hasnt been any change in apearance at all. I think it's only a scab as that is exactly what it looks like with no bloating up of the feet that i have seen in pictures. looks just like the other foot, just with a hard scab on it. so what im asking is does he have brumble foot? I would rather not unessarily cut into his foot so any help would be greatly aprieciated. Thank You!

 

[MelissaTXRn]

It looks like bumble to me

 

[Judy]

There is an alternate treatment to surgery. This is a thread about bumblefoot:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/554991/antibiotics-for-bumblefoot/0_20#post_7139022

 

[Autumn D]

How bad is the case? I have heard that if the infection gets in the legs it can kill them. how long will it take to treat using Tricide-Neo method and how effective will it be consitering his stage with brumble foot (it has been several weeks). is there a certain brand i should look for and were would i buy it. i dont want to get it on line as that would take to long. what is the cheepest stuff out there? The cheepest i have found on the internet is 23$ and i know theres no way im convincing my dad to spend that much on a rooster. If thewre isnt anything cheeper i may have to do surgery

thank for the help!

 

[MrsBachbach]

I have heard some cases heal themselves. If there is no swelling elsewherein the toes or pads etc, it may already be healing. I had some birds last summer with the same scab. Only a few had a little swelling. I did surgery on a couple but after finding nothing significant under the scab, except for one hen, I should have left it alone. All I did was open up a route for infection. Anyway, if you are determined to pick the scab, soak the foot in warm epsom salt water first. It really helps to loosen the scab, because it will be hard to get off. Make sure you sterilize everything you use and then clean and sterilize everything you can't throw away! And wear gloves!

 

[Autumn D]

just how bad is his case, to me it looks like he only has a scab and no puss. would it be best to just treat it with an atibiotic rather then take the scab off and letting bactiria in?

 

[ChickenMommaG]

It does not look like an advanced case of bumblefoot, if that is what it is, but from what I have read the earlier you act with this the easier it is to treat. I brought home a 6-week-old chick on which I found something like that on the bottom of her foot. By the time I realized it was a problem (after having been distracted with a bad case of respiratory disease running through my young flock for many weeks) it had ballooned many times to the point of pushing her toes apart. If you treat with antibiotics, make sure you get a recommendation for the right one since not any one might work. I can tell you that my bird with bumblefoot had had two rounds of Tylan along with the rest of the flock (before bronchitis was finally diagnosed as the cause of the respiratory symptoms in the flock) and perhaps it delayed the swelling, but it did not cure it.

Observing his behavior may also help you gauge the severity of what you are seeing. Is he limping or favoring the other foot? Is he avoiding interactions with the rest of the flock (if you have other chickens)? However, as I have learned the hard way, chickens are very good at hiding when something is wrong, so he may also try to be a tough guy and not show something's bothering him.

I will be interested in the updates on your Buddy.

 

[Autumn D]

he isnt limping and seems to walk just fine, but being buddy he tends to like to just lay down and when i let them free range heads straight off to his favorite dust bathing spot with his girlfriend. still, what do you think would be the best suggestion for treating his stage of brumblefoot? Thank you all for all your wonderful suggestions so far, i just want to make sure that im doing the right thing for buddy, my only really nice rooster.