Bumblefoot? What to do?

[Ylva]

Is this bumblefoot?
I got this roo about a month ago, and I recently discovered what I think is bumble foot - or bumble feet? I put his feet in lukewarm water for about ten minutes and then cleaned them with a disinfectant and sprayed them with blue spray, but I guess this isn’t enough treatment. He is a lovely roo and I am really fond of him, but he isn’t yet a crucial member of my flock or important for my future breeding projects.
Is further treatment going to take time and be painful for him/has the infection gone too far (= should I let him go?), or could this still be a quick fix? The tissue seem to be necrotic on both his feet. I feel so bad for him, and I’m so angry at myself for not discovering this earlier..

And what could the reason for bumblefoot on both his feet be (or is he just really dirty on the right foot)? I’ve never had a chicken with bumblefoot before.

(He is eating, drinking, courting/trying to feed both the hens and me, walking around without a limp, and doesn’t seem to be in any pain)

 

[HeritageFan]

Poor baby!
That is so painful, and with that much inflammation, he must be miserable

I have ducks, and have faced this on occasion.

I do 2-3x daily soaks w Epsom salt and warm water- I’d do 3x, at least at first, for him if you can - that inflammation is significant.

Gently try to clean any pus or dirt out with a washcloth or by squeezing gently after soaking. Try to loosen any scabs if he will let you, to see if you get any discharge- and to get the vetericyn in there.

Spray w vetericyn spray (available at the feed store and I would suggest that over BluKote if possible.... but BluKote is better than nothing if it’s your only option)

Separate him into a dog crate or small run that you can add a deep layer of shavings and keep as clean as possible.

I know some people talk about putting a gauze pad on the bottom of their feet and then wrapping (not too tightly) w VetWrap.... but I’ve never been able to get a “bandage” to stay for more than 24 hrs.
If he were my roo.... I’d probably try the wrap at least for a day or two, though, just to keep him as clean as possible.

Also, I’d let him come through this once, if you (and he) can do it.

I add Niacin to my duck feed (brewers yeast tablets that I grind up and sprinkle on their feed....I also get it at the feed store, in the canine area, and calculate the “weight” of my flocks to grind up an appropriate number of pills)

He’s probably going to need to be separated for 7-10 days, or at least 2 days after he is looking healed and no longer limping. If you can’t do that,
I’d cull him rather than leave him to suffer.
If you CAN do that, I’d add the niacin to his feed - keep adding it to his feed once he’s better, and he will likely never have the issue recur.
If he does.... and it’s not related to poor footing in their area/ some reason that he is getting foot injuries and subsequent infections.... I would not want to propagate those genetics, personally....

 

[HeritageFan]

Also. Here is another thread with other treatment options
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bumblefoot-procedure-that-avoids-surgery.1568704/

 

[Ylva]

Thank you so much for the quick reply! It was really helpful!

It’s late evening in Norway now, so I was able to examine the other 22 chickens without too much noise and protests. All of their feet were fine.
This rooster come from a generally healthy line, as far as I know. I suspect there might have been something with the footing in the coop he came from, since all of my chickens had healthy feet (including some of his siblings, whom I hatched myself).

I’ve separated him from the flock and put him in a large cage with clean shavings, together with the two most docile of my large hens for company (they even prefer to “roost” together with my bantam silkies on the floor ). I cleaned his feet again, with Chlorhexidine and medical honey. I will soak his feet again tomorrow morning, and maybe let the three of them free range on clean grass during the day for a while.

He mated with the hens when I put them in the cage, is this just instinct or maybe a sign that he isn’t in too great a pain? He hasn’t been limping at all.