Bumblefoot - soft white tissue under the hard yellow

[Henfla]

Hello! Yesterday I noticed that one of my chickens had bumblefoot under both of her feet. She doen't limp (maybe because both of her feet was hurting) or have severe swelling, but it's a bit swollen and one of them was worse than the other. It was a brown scab that I removed two days ago after soaking her feet for a while and then I applied some antibiotic ointment and medical honey, and today I removed a lot of the yellow hard stuff. Underneath there was some white soft tissue, and I can not remove that because she starts bleeding if I mess around too much, and also it seems to be painful to her (even though I gave her meloxicam). Since I have managed to remove some of the hard yellow stuff, some of the ointment reaches her healthy tissue and I was wondering if I can just let it be for now without removing anything more? Ofcourse I will change the dressing daily and clean the wounds and apply more ointment.

I can post a picture tomorrow when I change the dressing if needed.

 

[DotToDot]

Can you describe the ‘white soft tissue’ a bit more? Chicken pus (especially in bumblefoot) is thick and white. A little like cheese. That might be it. Oh, and pictures are great!

 

[DotToDot]

No, I could not feel any kernel inside. The string was like a floss. There are no more scabs now. I don't have epsom salt, so I had to improvise and I gave her a bath with himalayan bathing salt yesterday and also I have been using this soap that we use here for wound infections (I think it's like what you call pine sol, but for wounds) yesterday and today for like 20 minutes.

Hmmm. I’ve never heard of substituting other salts for epsom, and the foot-string is quite odd. The fact that there aren’t any scabs or kernels should be a good sign. I would recommend trying to squeeze out the pus, but that sounds like it’s painful and causes bleeding. I’ve really never heard of bumblefoot like this.
@nuthatched, @TheOddOneOut, can you help? I’m afraid my attempt at education has failed.

 

[Lillith37]

From what I’ve read, there’s the kind of bumblefoot that is an abscess with a plug that is often attached to the scab. Softening and removing the scab often results in the plug coming out and then the wound can heal. But I’ve also read about bumblefoot that has the string cheese characteristic, not a single plug, and it’s harder and more painful to treat. So what’s happening with your hen sounds like the latter.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'd soak it daily and epsom salts. Dry well, apply a small amount of triple antibiotic ointment, wrap and let heal. Change the wrappings daily for a few days.

You shouldn't have to continue to probe in the foot if you removed the plug.

 

[Henfla]

Keep doing what you are doing but don’t try to force it especially it starts bleeding or she indicates it hurts. You can use a sharp scalpel blade to gentle score the scab/build up before the salt bath to encourage whatever is in there to come out. I’ve have success with salicylic wart pads to soften/remove the dead tissues and also magnoplasm which is a drawing ointment. Sometimes nail clippers can be helpful to cut away the dead stuff. Patience, consistency and gentleness are key. If she’s still getting around okay that’s reassuring and I’m sure you’ll get on top of it!

From what I’ve read, there’s the kind of bumblefoot that is an abscess with a plug that is often attached to the scab. Softening and removing the scab often results in the plug coming out and then the wound can heal. But I’ve also read about bumblefoot that has the string cheese characteristic, not a single plug, and it’s harder and more painful to treat. So what’s happening with your hen sounds like the latter.

Thanks alot

 

[Henfla]

I'd soak it daily and epsom salts. Dry well, apply a small amount of triple antibiotic ointment, wrap and let heal. Change the wrappings daily for a few days.

You shouldn't have to continue to probe in the foot if you removed the plug.

Thanks! I will do that.

 

[Lillith37]

@ChickensComeHome2Roost maybe she is cutting her feet in her scramble to get away. This article could be helpful
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

 

[McChooky]

The last hen I treated for bumble foot wore bandages on both feet a month after I removed the core.This one only has it on the tips of a few toes on one foot and her foots swollen. I'm trying to see how well she does in a chicken tractor during the day because it'll restrict her movement during the day and keep her feet cleaner too.She's in the same yard with all the other chickens and sees them all day.I let her out for about an hour today bu t she went straight for a mud hole after she dust bathed so I put her back in the tractor.lol I'm keeping her in a clean cage at night with pine shavings on the floor.

 

[McChooky]

@ChickensComeHome2Roost maybe inspect your environment for sharp things if your pullet has several wounds on her feet. How high are their roosts?

When I checked my other hens feet last night I found a couple of my older hens have bumble too so I have a bit of a crisis on my hands. None of them had bumble last time I checked (spring) but I recently started free ranging them and the grounds rocky.