What kind
What kind of poultice do you use?
Idk about anesthesia. I've read not to use antibiotic ointment that contains pain relieve or numbing agent, so I would say don't use anesthesia. No, they don't scream. I've never heard a peep out of mine. That's not to say it doesn't hurt, I'm sure it does. It's just that chickens do a good job of hiding pain. They will try to jerk their foot away, so I'm sure they feel it. But if it has to be done, it has to be done.
I don't dig around alot when I remove one. I soak the foot well to soften the scab, then work the knife or intrusment around the edges of the scab to slowly loosen and then when I'm satisfied I've worked under the edges well, I grab some tweezers and lift and pull out the scab. Use something sterile and squeeze the area and see if there is any kernals or stringy white stuff to remove, but if I don't see it, I don't dig. I put a poultice on the operated foot to draw out any infection that may still be up there and I change that bandage out every couple of days, cleaning off any pus I see, and just continue reapplying the poultice and bandaging until I feel the infection has been removed. I then just apply antibiotic ointment, rewrap and let it close up, changing the bandaging every few days, until I feel they can go without bandaging.
What kind of poultice do you use?