Bumblefoot?

[despina33]

Is this bumblefoot? I am quite worried.... or is it just an injury?

I am quite worried

 

[Owlgirl7]

Yes... I'm afraid that that looks like bumblefoot. The scabs are dark and dirty looking... akin to bumblefoot. Don't panic though, if you take the right measures then your chicken will be fine. I had a standard brahma who I found had bumblefoot yesterday. I treated her by removing the scab and filling it Neosporin and wrapping it. Depending on how bad the infection is it may be more like 'surgery'. But I personally don't think it's quite as bad as it looks. I followed the instructions at this link:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/236649/bumblefoot-surgery-with-pics-and-how-to

Which is also on BYC. It has pictures and instructions on how to remove bumblefoot. In the search discussions row at the top of the screen you can also look up bumblefoot and it has some good advice.

If you don't want to surgically remove the bumble then I guess you could use Tricide NEO to treat the wound. I find this a hard to get medication. It is typically used to treat sick Koi fish but is also recommended for poultry use in bumblefoot. The only way I know of finding it though is through a vet or ordering it over the internet. Here is a good link if you want to considered buying it (it is expensive):

https://www.pondrx.com/products/16165.html

Make sure to also read the details on this website if you want to use Tricide NEO. It would as not be a good idea to get it on yourself since it is quite potent. It is used as a foot bath for bumble. I recommend giving your chicken an Epsom salt soak for its feet to clean them before using TN. Mix the appropriate amount of TN in distilled water and then soak your chicken's feet for 5-7 mins. NO MORE THAN THAT!!!

Hope this helps!

 

[Owlgirl7]

Thanks for the ovation! Anyway, I'm afraid that bumblefoot can be a 'common' occurrence in chickens. I find that it's almost always standards that get it. My standards get it but my bantams never do. Maybe it has something to do with weight to foot ratio. Weird. Yes, your bumblefoot case doesn't look as bad as it could get so you might want to fix it before it gets worse because the longer you leave it the worse it will get.

It's probably a good thing to learn as much about it as you can now before you have to deal with a real bad case. If you continue to raise chickens for a long period of time you WILL see bumblefoot again! Unless you're pretty lucky.