Bumblefoot questions! no kernal- no lameness

[Lazygaze]

Hello, I have a chicken who has Bumblefoot, although there was absolutely definitely not a 'kernel' as many people say when we investigated. Soaked for a long time, pulled out scabby lumps and stringy bits, but no singular corn. Nothing as satisfying as that!

We keep soaking each day and investigating gently with scalpel and tweezers, but now we seem to just make her bleed which is obviously distressing (for us mainly!) and makes it impossible to see what you are doing. I read somewhere that if you make it bleed then you are going too far with the cutting. So what am I supposed to do if the pad still feels hard but any poking just makes her bleed?

I read a lot that chickens with Bumblefoot go lame and are obviously in pain, she has never been like this but the pad of her foot is so much bigger than her flock mates. She is the biggest chicken by a long way so I understand she has to have more substantial feet! But I just don't know if her pads are 'right'. They are big and hard.Just on the pad, it's not spreading up her leg or anything. I don't know if that is because they are full of hard bumble or if that is just how she is meant to be. Just chagring my phone as it has died and then will add images. But would love to know if anyone has had Bumblefoot with no lameness, and advice with the stringy, non-kernel type of Bumblefoot much appreciated! I see pics of scabs much smaller than hers (hers is about the about the size of a pea, scab flat obviously, but her pad is about the size of a marble, squashed, if you see what I mean!) where the chicken is distressed and lame so I don't get why she is pottering around just fine on a scab much bigger. Thank you for any advice.

 

[Lazygaze]

 

[Sarahh_Janeyy]

Her foot doesn't look too bad. I would soak it, alternate epsom salt bath, or iodine, or chlorhexidine (careful though some chickens have a reaction to this) soaks, rinse it (I give it a quick spray off with veterycin or chlordexidine) and dry it, and then put one of several things on it - I have 2 things from my vet, one is melaleuca honey, and the other is silver sulfadiazine cream - and then put a small sterile pad on it, and wrap the foot with vet wrap. I actually stopped trying to pull the bumbles off and wait for them to fall off with this regiment. I have used other things in the past to soften up the bumbles - green goo poultry salve, hen healer, various other balms you'll see people write about here. I've also used neosporin if there is an open wound from pulling off the bumble, but my vet advised against using neosporin and the like, due to cross resistance issues. But if you wash, treat, re-wrap, maybe every other day, the bumble will get better. I had several birds with constant bumble issues, and I don't know if you have this problem, but my run is mainly sand (Florida) and the vet suspects they were grinding the sand particles into their feet at night when they roost. He suggested covering my roost bars with casting padding and then wrapping with vet wrap. I did this and the girls have been bumble-free for months now. Really worth a shot - soaking 6 bumbled chickens was taking up so much time! As for lameness - I've had some big bumbles and only ever caught 1 with a lameness issue - and she was fine after we took care of her bumbles. Just depends on the chicken and how far the infection has gone. Good luck! I hope this helps!

 

[Lazygaze]

Her foot doesn't look too bad. I would soak it, alternate epsom salt bath, or iodine, or chlorhexidine (careful though some chickens have a reaction to this) soaks, rinse it (I give it a quick spray off with veterycin or chlordexidine) and dry it, and then put one of several things on it - I have 2 things from my vet, one is melaleuca honey, and the other is silver sulfadiazine cream - and then put a small sterile pad on it, and wrap the foot with vet wrap. I actually stopped trying to pull the bumbles off and wait for them to fall off with this regiment. I have used other things in the past to soften up the bumbles - green goo poultry salve, hen healer, various other balms you'll see people write about here. I've also used neosporin if there is an open wound from pulling off the bumble, but my vet advised against using neosporin and the like, due to cross resistance issues. But if you wash, treat, re-wrap, maybe every other day, the bumble will get better. I had several birds with constant bumble issues, and I don't know if you have this problem, but my run is mainly sand (Florida) and the vet suspects they were grinding the sand particles into their feet at night when they roost. He suggested covering my roost bars with casting padding and then wrapping with vet wrap. I did this and the girls have been bumble-free for months now. Really worth a shot - soaking 6 bumbled chickens was taking up so much time! As for lameness - I've had some big bumbles and only ever caught 1 with a lameness issue - and she was fine after we took care of her bumbles. Just depends on the chicken and how far the infection has gone. Good luck! I hope this helps!

Hello- so sorry I didn’t see this reply until just now, I hope your chickens are still bumble free! Mine got worse so she has been at the vets and they said it has spread to her joint I’m hoping she will recover but I won’t know for a while

 

[Sarahh_Janeyy]

Hello- so sorry I didn’t see this reply until just now, I hope your chickens are still bumble free! Mine got worse so she has been at the vets and they said it has spread to her joint I’m hoping she will recover but I won’t know for a while

Well, shit, I never would've guessed from those photos Hopefully they can give her some oral antibiotics and anti-inflammatories to help her heal?

 

[Lazygaze]

Well, shit, I never would've guessed from those photos Hopefully they can give her some oral antibiotics and anti-inflammatories to help her heal?

Yes she has both of those, fingers crossed for her! Just shows what can happen in a matter of weeks. This was last week so about 2months later. She has big bandages now and is home and being a house chicken

 

[Lazygaze]

Well, shit, I never would've guessed from those photos Hopefully they can give her some oral antibiotics and anti-inflammatories to help her heal?

Did your chickens recover?

 

[Sarahh_Janeyy]

Yes she has both of those, fingers crossed for her! Just shows what can happen in a matter of weeks. This was last week so about 2months later. She has big bandages now and is home and being a house chicken

Ah, yeah, I actually have one right now I'm getting a bit worried about and have been nursing because you can see the bulge on the top of the foot. I'm very optimistic about your chicken though, glad she's on the mend!!