bumblefoot treated, now there's limping...

[azygous]

Yes, the same foot. During one surgery, I cut into the swollen pad to see if there was pus, but I didn't encounter any.

Olive seems to be handling her swollen pad okay. She's in a sand run all day. She used to beg to go out to free range on the hard clay, and now she only wants to remain in the run. But she doesn't behave as though she has any discomfort except for roosting, which she insists on.

She's an EE, unlike any of the others. She's very opinionated, stubborn, and completely uncooperative unless it's her idea to do something. I've never had a chicken like her. I would be happy to try the treatment you gave your big guy, but Olive would say, "You'll touch my feet again over my dead body." And she would mean it.

 

[lissalischicks]

I have a girl I treated for a nasty infected bumblefoot. It's been about a month and the scab is now very tiny. She had the bumblefoot before but it was healing nicely and we thought the bandages were not needed. Our fault. She developed it again and it looked reinfected. So now we are covering it until it completely heals. I used gauze for cushion and wrap with self adherent wrap. As time as gone on, I use less and less gauze to help get ready for the day she doesn't need the bandage. This works for us but can't wait for the day we don't have to wrap her foot every few days.

She was also a big girl but turns out she got big because it was too painful for her to walk. Once we treated her foot, within days she was walking more and more and lost so much weight!! Now she runs around and digs like everyone else. We just thought she was a lazy chicken...

 

[Kathy Golla]

Hmm this is a tough one. I know you only want the best for your boy and that limp must be hard to see.

I suspect either he is tender on the foot pad, could be for several reasons, and maybe it does feel better with the cotton ball but the limp has become a habit. You mention he's been on pain meds previously which he should seemingly have seen some relief from. Have you tried metacam for two weeks? I'll bet you have.

My second guess is that his body weight is just too big for his legs and he has pain in his legs. Somewhere. It seems like if so, though, you would have heard it from the vet already. Is your roo like some type of mutant chicken? I say that in the nicest possible way, I know written posts can come across as snarky sometimes and that is NOT my intention.

 

[M EGG]

Yes, the same foot. During one surgery, I cut into the swollen pad to see if there was pus, but I didn't encounter any.

Olive seems to be handling her swollen pad okay. She's in a sand run all day. She used to beg to go out to free range on the hard clay, and now she only wants to remain in the run. But she doesn't behave as though she has any discomfort except for roosting, which she insists on.

She's an EE, unlike any of the others. She's very opinionated, stubborn, and completely uncooperative unless it's her idea to do something. I've never had a chicken like her. I would be happy to try the treatment you gave your big guy, but Olive would say, "You'll touch my feet again over my dead body." And she would mean it.

 

[M EGG]

Yes, the same foot. During one surgery, I cut into the swollen pad to see if there was pus, but I didn't encounter any.

Olive seems to be handling her swollen pad okay. She's in a sand run all day. She used to beg to go out to free range on the hard clay, and now she only wants to remain in the run. But she doesn't behave as though she has any discomfort except for roosting, which she insists on.

She's an EE, unlike any of the others. She's very opinionated, stubborn, and completely uncooperative unless it's her idea to do something. I've never had a chicken like her. I would be happy to try the treatment you gave your big guy, but Olive would say, "You'll touch my feet again over my dead body." And she would mean it.

 

[M EGG]

Yes, the same foot. During one surgery, I cut into the swollen pad to see if there was pus, but I didn't encounter any.

Olive seems to be handling her swollen pad okay. She's in a sand run all day. She used to beg to go out to free range on the hard clay, and now she only wants to remain in the run. But she doesn't behave as though she has any discomfort except for roosting, which she insists on.

She's an EE, unlike any of the others. She's very opinionated, stubborn, and completely uncooperative unless it's her idea to do something. I've never had a chicken like her. I would be happy to try the treatment you gave your big guy, but Olive would say, "You'll touch my feet again over my dead body." And she would mean it.

 

[M EGG]

I had 4 chicks total from 2 weeks old, they came from a poultry farm at easter. A client of mine got them, couldn't keep them so I took them. Two calls I made to this farm to get an idea of their breed was they're sex linked crosses of leghorn/rhode island red & my research showed the same as what some of you have said, that they don't get to be 16+ lbs. The first roo passed at 6 mos swollen hock for 2-3 mos prior (my fault for not restricting his feed-had issues walking), then my 2nd roo passed at 10 1/2 mos with the limp coming a month before he passed. My 1 hen never limped but when she passed at 10 mos necropsy found severe egg peritonitis which caused several respiratory issues prior to her passing.
Now Harry has always been very sturdy. Will keep the cushion under the pad & will keep figuring out what's causing this.
A few questions I've had:
I've had him on a grower formula because I was interested in an organic crumble & to keep protein close to 15% & low calcium. Just recently added a flock maintainer not organic but in pellet.(from what I read on the Cornish cross(not sure if he has this in him)grains can be hard to digest & they can have crop issues among other things so that's why I stayed on the smaller crumble vs pellet. I guess because this was a more unique situation than some(because he is the only one left he lives in the house & has his outdoor coop I'm just trying to keep him healthy & happy for as long as he'll allow. So, I was concerned of nutritional deficiencies.
2nd question is about the comb. Harry gets what looks like specks of dried blood from time to time on areas of the comb & sometimes the tips are dark to black-not frostbite at all-suspect circulation or respiration??
Just wanted to get advice from you seasoned chicken people since these are my 1st.
THANK YOU!

 

[M EGG]

Hmm this is a tough one. I know you only want the best for your boy and that limp must be hard to see.

I suspect either he is tender on the foot pad, could be for several reasons, and maybe it does feel better with the cotton ball but the limp has become a habit. You mention he's been on pain meds previously which he should seemingly have seen some relief from. Have you tried metacam for two weeks? I'll bet you have.

My second guess is that his body weight is just too big for his legs and he has pain in his legs. Somewhere. It seems like if so, though, you would have heard it from the vet already. Is your roo like some type of mutant chicken? I say that in the nicest possible way, I know written posts can come across as snarky sometimes and that is NOT my intention.

 

[M EGG]

Thank you, Kathy. My previous post I went into their history and possible breed?? I think you may be right about him being tender on the pad. I did try metacam for a few days a while back. Vet prescribed rimadyl this time(her words were"don't sue me if this kills him" but she did find in a book a study done a long time ago rimadyl is ok for chickens) Wasn't really comfie with that response!!! But, gave it a go a few days-no difference with either med. I use a homeopathic pain relief called T-relief & a product called Curamin-he still limps but, these are much safer to use long term.

 

[M EGG]

I have a girl I treated for a nasty infected bumblefoot. It's been about a month and the scab is now very tiny. She had the bumblefoot before but it was healing nicely and we thought the bandages were not needed. Our fault. She developed it again and it looked reinfected. So now we are covering it until it completely heals. I used gauze for cushion and wrap with self adherent wrap. As time as gone on, I use less and less gauze to help get ready for the day she doesn't need the bandage. This works for us but can't wait for the day we don't have to wrap her foot every few days.

She was also a big girl but turns out she got big because it was too painful for her to walk. Once we treated her foot, within days she was walking more and more and lost so much weight!! Now she runs around and digs like everyone else. We just thought she was a lazy chicken...