Bumblefoot advice please!

[lauranickerson]

I just took a better look at all my birds and at least 3 more have it, too! What the heck! Is this that common or could it be something they get in to while free ranging? The only thing I can think of is there are huge wild raspberry bushes right along the coop that they are in all the time. Could they be getting thorns from that? They hang out in the pines a lot, too, and I use pine needles as my bedding, but it doesn't seem all that sharp...

 

[Suzie]

I have had to deal with some of mine having bumblefoot very recently..almost feels as if they have planned this to give me surgical experience.......it can happen for so many reasons...high perches, rubble/rocks...any sharp objects, thorns, you name it it can be the cause....luckily I have scalpels here, lots of povidone, betadine, gauze dressings and any number of other implements to help the chickens...tonight I am the vaseline queen....have scaly leg mite problems...so 44 chickens...here I come!!!!

Dinner will be delayed this evening until my chickens have had their treatment(s).....

 

[welasharon]

Tomorrow when you recover can you tell me what scalpel size you prefer?

 

[Suzie]

I use a standard size 10 scalpel...I buy them from a local pharmacy ..they only come in that size here...

I find them easy to use and dispose of each one after use...they are the same size as I had in the UK...stupid me maybe but I thought a surgical scalpel came in only one size...doh!

I tend to use the very tip of the scalpel only...

 

[Peep-Chicken]

I am battling bumble foot too. My Welsummer has it

Glad yours worked out well!

 

[welasharon]

I was given one but wanted to get some more. I just sterilized it in betadine and alcohol. Thanks!

 

[lauranickerson]

My dog/house sitting ends tomorrow so I will finally be able to spend much needed time at home with the chickens, rather than drive and check in on them a couple times a day.

Hopefully I will have enough time after work to do all of the surgeries and rewrap the first patient. She will be going 72 hours on one bandage, but I see she still has no limp today. Didn't have enough time to rewrap today.

I can't tell if my older birds I got from a lady last year have scaly leg mites or if they are just old feet. The birds are going on 3-4 years old. The scales aren't raised a lot, but I'll be gifting them all Vaseline soon anyways.

Plus my birds have a lice infestation!!! Eew! Karma got me for being too proud last year on the fact that I had none. I will be buring a kiddy pool and filling with DE, wood ash, and poultry dust, and hopefully that will do the trick...

I'm just so bummed about the Bumblefoot. :/ Ugh.

I got my scalpels from someone I know that works at a doctor's office. I believe they are standard size but I'm not really sure. I might use my xacto knife because the tip is smaller.