Bumblefoot surgery - with pics and "how to"

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
How would a person know if a chicken has just a callous and not bumblefoot?

I'm not aware that they get callouses but if they have a black scab and any swelling - it's most likely bumblefoot.

No swelling that I can see, but a little "scab" ...

I'm certain its because of their run, it was really dried out this summer and was like friggen concrete, the poor girls! If only they hadn't eaten and scratched away all the grass LOLOL.

I have 3 or 4 that have it so far, very minor, tiny scabs.

 

[ruth]

I cleaned her foot today and took the opportunity to take some pics of how I wrap the foot. They have been added to page one. Many thanks to ERnoleGuy for the tip on using the macro setting for close ups - it worked beautifully - no blurriness.

 

[Fourgirlsoneboy]

Thanks for showing us that! I have SO much to learn......

 

[hollyinpa]

Just got done cleaning out our hen's wound again this evening...

The wrap stayed nice and snug (without being too tight) and kept the wound dry and safe overnight and all day today.

When we unwrapped the wound it looked clean and dry. We soaked the foot in a betadine/epsom salt bath for about 15 minutes. Massaging and squeezing (gently) the area around the foot pad and the abscess.

We opted to lance the abscess on the top of her foot (between her toes) and we got quite a bit of the "cottage cheese" substance from the abcess, but nothing we could identify as a "plug".

We widened the tiny hole left by the black scab that we removed from her foot pad yesterday in hopes of coaxing out the plug from the bottom of the foot. We managed to clean out more of the yellowy pieces, but couldn't get a hold of a plug. In fact, Bert didn't feel anything hard or kernel-like when she massaged the foot pad and the top abscess.

We decided to saturate both open areas with neosporin before wrapping them again for the night. We'll try for more extraction of the yellowy stuff and a plug tomorrow.

Our hen has been mostly cooperative during these processes - despite pooping on me tonight and demanding to be put down on a towel on the kitchen floor in order to stretch her wings a bit. She's not partial to being held firmly.

Once I put her with the other hens she seemed keen to groom herself as some of her feathers got into the epsom soak. She also picked a bit at the wrap around the wound. We prefer working on the wound at night because we know she'll settle in at night and roost and leave the wrap alone overnight.

Thanks again for all of your help as we go through this process for the first time.

 

[ruth]

Quote:
At least you're getting out the abcessed gunk. It is important to get it all cleaned out. There may not be a plug or "kernel" in there but you do need to clean out everything. If there's one in there, it's usually a lot deeper than you would think and takes a lot of soaking and digging.

I've found it sort of forms a chamber of sorts. So if you see where the yellow/cheesy stuff is coming from - follow it and dig out in that direction. You'll normally end up with an empty chamber and probably headed in the direction of the swelling between the toes. I use a long thin manicure scissors - using just one blade, in open position to sort of tunnel in and follow the infection.

 

[ERnoleGuy]

Quote:
Not to hijack or anyting... but THANKS!

My first BYC shout out! Holla! hehehe

 

[hollyinpa]

We just finished our 3rd night of doctoring our hen's foot. Here's a picture of our supplies:

The spot where we lanced the abscess looks really good..just an empty pocket of skin with no puss coming out.

We soaked the foot pad in a betadine and epsom salt bath before we started digging in again. We continued to get bits and pieces of yellowy stuff, but no kernel. So frustrating.

After soaking and digging a bit more Bert gave the foot pad a good squeeze and VICTORY! We got a big fat plug/kernel that looked a bit like a lima bean that had started to root.

Apparently Bert had been digging out the top of the kernel without knowing it. When she finally got it out, we could see where she'd been digging on it. The spot closest to the penny is the spot where Bert had been digging. The small piece farthest from the penny appears to be the "root".

We packed the wounds with neosporin again and wrapped the foot up for the evening. We are hoping that the wound heals up nicely by Friday so that we don't have to soak it any longer. We are going out of town and I don't want to worry too much about my henny penny while we are gone. Our neighbor, who has his own hens, will take care of our "girls" while we are gone.

I'll post more updated pictures tomorrow when we check on the wounds.

 

[UK Chicken rancher]

Thank you, thank you! I had a hen that had this and didn't know what it was and that it could be treated! Your description and photos seem very easy to follow. Thanx again for taking the time to post this.

 

[EweSheep]

Very informative.

I think one of my Wellies might have one but will wait until tonight to make sure she didnt step on anything that caused some swelling. She is not limping but a little tenderfooted. If that is the case, then it is a very first time I ever had bumblefoot in my chickens after six years having them.

It has been a very dry year with some rain but sooooooo dry that the ground was cracked and hard as concrete.

Not sure where she could have gotten into but I know there are several wooden 2 x 4 perches.

Can someone post this as a sticky????? This is very pictural how to do forum!

Mods, STICKY please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chickerdoodle]

Thank you so much for this post--GREAT job!!

I am getting chicks next spring and have tons of books (yes I've read them too) and want to add these directions and photos to my "Chicken ER" list!