Bumblefoot and Baytril Cornish Rock X House Chickens

[Allears]

Hi All, my two beautiful Cornish Rock X's have bumblefoot. I noticed the bigger girl had a swollen foot and on closer inspection saw the black scab.

1. I removed the scab, it peeled off easily and at first I thought it was a thorn because it had a spike.
2. I squeezed down the "ankle" towards the foot and a hard yellow clump came out with some blood.
3. I packed the hole with f10 Barrier Ointment (anti-fungal, anti-bacterial) and put a gauze plug on it,
4. I wrapped the foot in a gauze / medi tape bootie,
5. She is on oral baytril

I'll check the bandage in two days time and clean and repack the wound. Is there anything else I should do? She's eating, but she's lying down a lot, which is something my Cornish Rock X's DON'T do because they have never been cooped and are very healthy and strong. My girls are seven months old, no leg issues and lay huge (bigger than shop bought) eggs!

The other girl has a small swelling and tiny (pinhead size) black dot under her foot. the scab wouldn't come off, so I've given her an f10 bootie as well. Should I start her on Baytril in anticipation of opening the scab when it can come off?

 

[Allears]

Hi All, my two beautiful Cornish Rock X's have bumblefoot. I noticed the bigger girl had a swollen foot and on closer inspection saw the black scab.

1. I removed the scab, it peeled off easily and at first I thought it was a thorn because it had a spike.
2. I squeezed down the "ankle" towards the foot and a hard yellow clump came out with some blood.
3. I packed the hole with f10 Barrier Ointment (anti-fungal, anti-bacterial) and put a gauze plug on it,
4. I wrapped the foot in a gauze / medi tape bootie,
5. She is on oral baytril

I'll check the bandage in two days time and clean and repack the wound. Is there anything else I should do? She's eating, but she's lying down a lot, which is something my Cornish Rock X's DON'T do because they have never been cooped and are very healthy and strong. My girls are seven months old, no leg issues and lay huge (bigger than shop bought) eggs!

The other girl has a small swelling and tiny (pinhead size) black dot under her foot. the scab wouldn't come off, so I've given her an f10 bootie as well. Should I start her on Baytril in anticipation of opening the scab when it can come off?

I also have a duck and a goose and tortoises in the back garden, can they also get infected? They all share water bowls and sleeping quarters.
Will the soil be infected?
I believe bumblefoot takes aaages to heal, will the chickens have to be confined until they have healed?

 

[Allears]

Hi Folks,
Please help me with your bumblefoot experiences. I'm new at this and I'm having to treat both birds on my own.

How contagious is it and how does it spread, contact with infected tissue, body fluid, poop?
Should I start second chicken on baytril before I open the swelling?
Do I have to confine the birds for the duration of the treatment?

Thank you.

 

[junebuggena]

Bumblefoot is a type of staph infection. It only occurs in wounds, it will not random happen to healthy, uninjured feet. The bird got a cut on her foot somehow, and it got infected. It's that simple.
Sounds like you have done a great job with treatment. Those 'bumbles' do need to be removed, or the infection can spread to the bone, causing serious problems.

 

[Allears]

Bumblefoot is a type of staph infection. It only occurs in wounds, it will not random happen to healthy, uninjured feet. The bird got a cut on her foot somehow, and it got infected. It's that simple.
Sounds like you have done a great job with treatment. Those 'bumbles' do need to be removed, or the infection can spread to the bone, causing serious problems.

Thanks for the feedback junebggena

I have a tree that has short thorns and could easily have pricked my heavy birds feet and they both love to scratch. No problems with the goose though and she is twice as heavy.
The girl that I've had to cut to open the wound is very sore and limping and lying down a LOT today. She's still eating though. It's been a very rough year and I'm so tired. I dread the thought of having to go through this cut and drain routine for the next few weeks with both birds. They are big, heavy girls and not the most compliant patients. I unfortunately don't have anyone to help me treat the girls, so input from BYC folk is my (and the Girls) lifeline.

Could you help answer these questions please?
How contagious is it and how does it spread, contact with infected tissue, body fluid, poop?
Should I start second chicken on baytril before I open the swelling?
Do I have to confine the birds for the duration of the treatment?

 

[junebuggena]

Question 1. It's not contagious virus. It's caused by bacteria inside a wound. It will not 'spread.' For bumblefoot to occur, a bird must have an open wound. The bacteria is only present inside the wound, not in the feces or body fluids. It is a naturally occurring bacteria that you can not eliminate from the environment. Kind of like coccidia, it's always present.

Question 2. Yes, start antibiotics before removing the bumble.

Question 3. You don't have to keep them confined, but the foot should be wrapped to keep the affected area clean.

 

[Allears]

That's a relief, thank you. These are my first chickens and they grew up in the house. The chickens, duck and goose are all rescues and special pets. Thanks again for your input.

 

[Allears]

Hi folks, just to give feedback. I wasn't able to manage treating my girls on my own and chose to have them both euthanased. I considered the fact that they are incredibly large birds, which are usually culled at 8 weeks. My girls grew up as free range house chickens and lived to 9 months without any issues. Their size makes them prone to bumblefoot and both girls had a black dot on each foot. I didn't want to put them through more pain or watch them hobbling around after the surgery and because of their size it was very hard for me to treat their wounds. They were the sweetest, most friendly birds and the yard is not the same without them. thank you to everyone who provided input.