Bumblefoot contagious?

[Henny_in_Tenne]

One of my chickens has bumble foot AGAIN. She had it last year and it took 2 months of various courses of treatment to clear it. I swore then that I wouldn’t go through it again. Well here I am, 4 weeks in with another round. My questions are a) can it spread to the other chickens, and b) can it clear on it’s own. Respectfully, I’m not looking for advice on treatment.

 

[nuthatched]

nope, not contagious, it's like you getting a splinter.

 

[Lexievans11990]

One of my chickens has bumble foot AGAIN. She had it last year and it took 2 months of various courses of treatment to clear it. I swore then that I wouldn’t go through it again. Well here I am, 4 weeks in with another round. My questions are a) can it spread to the other chickens, and b) can it clear on it’s own. Respectfully, I’m not looking for advice on treatment.

It is not contagious, and I’ve actually had a chicken with bumblefoot and it went away, so I’d say it could clear on its own

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

It is not contagious, and I’ve actually had a chicken with bumblefoot and it went away, so I’d say it could clear on its own

I treated my chickens for bumblefoot, thought it went away, and then boom, it came back. It's better to treat the underlying cause, like too high roost bars, or wire sticking out. Our hens don't seem too bothered by it, but I've heard it can spread up the leg, as it's a staph infection.

 

[Henny_in_Tenne]

I’ve heard that as a staph infection it is transmissible to humans and we should wear gloves when treating it. If it’s contagious to humans wouldn’t it also be contagious to other chickens? As far as treating the underlying causes, it’s out of my control. My chickens are free to roam about all day. They let themselves out in the morning and put themselves to bed at night. Their roosting bars are about 8” off the coop floor so that’s not the issue.

I’m concerned that the infected hen is going to suffer and/or pass it to the other healthy chickens. I want to prevent either of those scenarios from happening.

 

[coach723]

It's bacterial, so if another bird comes into contact with the same bacteria through a cut, scrape, etc. then yes they can get it. The bacteria could be on surfaces, or just in the general environment. You can disinfect roosts daily to reduce it there, but it's unlikely you can erradicate it completely. Some birds seem to be more prone to it than others. Size, weight, and behavior varies bird to bird, no way to predict. I've had birds get it more than once, and other birds never get it.

 

[KaseySnow]

My understanding is that you are advised to wear gloves when treating bumblefoot because you may have cuts on your hands or touch your face after touching the infection. Touching a bumble with unbroken skin and then washing your hands before touching anything else is not likely to give you a staph infection.

If another chicken were to mess with the bumble directly they might potentially get it from that bird, but as it is on the footpad that is unlikely. Bumblefoot could spread more easily if the infection is oozing and another hen steps on the ooze with a foot that also has an open injury. However, because they walk through their own poop and dirt all day, they will likely pick up a staph infection from their environment regardless if they have a foot wound. That's exactly how they get bumblefoot in the first place.

According to my avian vet, the best way to prevent bumblefoot is to make sure the roost isn't too high off the ground (which you've already done), and to ensure their roost perch is smooth, rounded, and not too big or too small. Rough, sharp-edged, or poorly sized roosting perches will lead to splinters or dry, cracked feet that then become prone to infection. 30-40mm in diameter is generally a good size perch for most laying hens. If you use natural wood, it is recommended to remove all bark and sand down all sides of the wood to minimize splinters or uneven knots that can cause sores.