Bumblefoot

[Disheygirl]

This is probably the 100th post on the topic, I know.

One of my girls has a little scab on each foot. Not limping, wasn’t red until I started messing with them. I’ve been doing an epsom soak, then flushing with saline, clorohexidine, packing with neosporin, and then a small piece of gauze and vet wrap. Changing it daily, same treatment each time.

I initially got the scab off, and although no plug, there was some pus and stringy stuff that smelled like…well, pus / infection. Ive been hesitant to really DIG around in there because I read a horror story about a hen bleeding out that way. But when I squeeze her foot, a little part kind of pops up and if I try to pull it, it seems really painful and she bleeds. Her other little foot starts shaking too and I feel horrible.

Is the best course of action to see if it heals with the treatment above and stop messing with any scabbing? I don’t want to make it worse but I also don’t want to leave something in there that I shouldn’t be.

 

[RubelliteRose]

I've had hens with bumblefoot like that. The stringy stuff is part of the infection, but is almost impossible to clean all the way out. If you have to squeeze too hard, it isn't ready if that makes sense. I would just keep packing it with neosporin and wrapping it, but not try to clean it out for a while. Sometimes it will just go away on its own after a partial clean out. Do check her regularly for bumblefoot. I have noticed that my hens who have had it once tend to eventually get it again.