Bumblefoot or something else?

[oxalis]

Hello everyone, three days ago I got some quail from a local farm. During the appointment to pick up some adult quail, we were kinda rushed and didn't catch that one of them has a pretty swollen foot.

I think it's bumblefoot but when I examined the foot, I didnt see an obvious scab like I do with other cases when I search. Her entire ankle area and one of her toes is quite swollen as well. Are there cases where the scab can almost heal over or be really small? In the pictures there is one tiny brown spot that may be it? But it almost just looks like a spot of dirt.

In addition to the pictures, I have a video where you can see her foot as well.

EDIT: I want to add that this bird and one other that we got from the farm showed signs of I believe to be ammonia poisoning (puffy eyelids, eyes squinted or held closed, heavy breathing when at rest, resting and sitting a lot). There was a -lot- of poop left sitting in the catch trays beneath the wires so I'm wondering if that could affect their feet? and yeah, I don't think I'll be going back to that place for any more birds...

 

[Shadrach]

Hello everyone, three days ago I got some quail from a local farm. During the appointment to pick up some adult quail, we were kinda rushed and didn't catch that one of them has a pretty swollen foot.

I think it's bumblefoot but when I examined the foot, I didnt see an obvious scab like I do with other cases when I search. Her entire ankle area and one of her toes is quite swollen as well. Are there cases where the scab can almost heal over or be really small? In the pictures there is one tiny brown spot that may be it? But it almost just looks like a spot of dirt.

In addition to the pictures, I have a video where you can see her foot as well.

That looks like gout to me.
Have an Internet search with images and see what you think.

 

[Nabiki]

Do you know how old she is? It does look like it's probably bumblefoot where the original wound has healed over, but it could be something else if she's old.

It could also be gout, especially if she's a full adult and still getting 28-30% protein feed. Adults need different feed than chicks do.

 

[oxalis]

Hi Shadrach and Nabiki, thanks so much for your replies. I will take a look and see what I can learn about gout.

Do you know how old she is? It does look like it's probably bumblefoot where the original wound has healed over, but it could be something else if she's old.

It could also be gout, especially if she's a full adult and still getting 28-30% protein feed. Adults need different feed than chicks do.

Unfortunately I don't know how old she is, I do know that she's already laying and I would be very surprised if she's over a year in age.

One thing that I do want to mention is that the feed that the farm was giving them is not formulated for quail and is too low in protein! They made us buy some with the quail but we can't use it for them (and we already have our own that is made for quail's needs). I have a picture of the label with the formula here:

I'm 90% sure this is what they've been raising their quail on, do you know if this diet could lead to gout?

 

[Nabiki]

That feed is low on protein, so unlikely to lead to gout. If they weren't providing calcium on the side, it's also too low in calcium for laying birds.

Don't change their diet all at once. If this is what they've been eating, mix it with the new feed and change over gradually over 4-7 days.

Do you know if they were on wire cage floor? That's a common way for bumblefoot to happen.

 

[oxalis]

Don't change their diet all at once. If this is what they've been eating, mix it with the new feed and change over gradually over 4-7 days.

Ah shoot, we've had them for about four days and switched them over to our feed straight off. Do you think there's any point mixing it now?

and yeah, they were on wire cages at the farm. We're gonna try to soak her feet in some epsom salt water and see if we can find a scab.

I was looking at her feet again this evening and the skin also looks really dry/cracked/irritated in general whereas the other birds have healthy looking scales and skin on their feet. I'm hopeful the bath will help with that too.

 

[Nabiki]

Oh, if you've already changed the feed, no point in mixing it now. Changing feed gradually just helps keep their digestive systems happy. Imagine a person who has been eating nothing but mac & cheese, hotdogs, and burgers suddenly switching to a vegetable heavy diet.

 

[oxalis]

Oh, if you've already changed the feed, no point in mixing it now. Changing feed gradually just helps keep their digestive systems happy. Imagine a person who has been eating nothing but mac & cheese, hotdogs, and burgers suddenly switching to a vegetable heavy diet.

ah, that would certainly explain some things.. didn't have anything *too* concerning this week but we did have some interesting colors and oddly large poops. Things seem to be settling down now, though with all the issues we saw at the farm I think a worming will probably be a good idea to do soon when they're adjusted

 

[Nabiki]

Sounds like someone you don't want to buy birds from again. When I sell birds I let the customer know when they hatched, what they've been fed, and what their environment is like.