Bumbling around

[Leanora]

I'm quite new to chicken-keeping and enjoying it hugely. However, 2 of my girls were rescued from grim conditions....free range, but filthy and neglected. These pics are of my big cochin, and whilst we seem to be getting somewhere with her leg mite prob, I'm now worried she has several bumbles. She doesn't actually limb, but she stumbles around, and I don't kniow if this is just because her feet are heavily feathered. Compared to my other girls, her feet are huge! She never perches, but prefers to sit down on her haunches; the first and third pics are of her elbows; the first, has a scab, but I can't feel any kernels, whist the other, with no scab has a hard,iregular lump, (left of pic) Likewise her foot has a small scab, but can't feel anything beneath. HELP!! Am I just looking for trouble, i.e. is it normal to get these on elbows?? Desperately need some experienced advice

 

[Eggcessive]

The footpad has some bumblefoot which doesn't look too bad, but the elbows look like she could possibly have mycoplasma synovitis. It can cause a yellow exudate in the joints, and cause lameness and swelling of feet and legs/joints. Does she have any mild respiratory symptoms, or a sore or blister on her breast? Here is a good link on bumblefoot, complete with a video, and 2 links on MS:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/99/mycoplasma-synoviae-infection-ms-infectious-synovitis
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou...nfection_in_poultry_infectious_synovitis.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/07/bumblefoot-causes-treatment-warning.html

 

[Leanora]

She doesn't appear to be suffering from any other symptoms, and she is only aprox 5mths old. Is it usual for bumblefoot to be present at the elbows? Apart from a stumbling gait, which I put down to her heavily feathered feet, she seems happy and sociable with her 3 coop-mates. I know most people say"wait and see" doesn't usually work, but I can't feel any kernels at all...should I? I don't want to risk infection from surgery if it isn't necessary

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I'm quite new to chicken-keeping and enjoying it hugely. However, 2 of my girls were rescued from grim conditions....free range, but filthy and neglected. These pics are of my big cochin, and whilst we seem to be getting somewhere with her leg mite prob, I'm now worried she has several bumbles. She doesn't actually limb, but she stumbles around, and I don't kniow if this is just because her feet are heavily feathered. Compared to my other girls, her feet are huge! She never perches, but prefers to sit down on her haunches; the first and third pics are of her elbows; the first, has a scab, but I can't feel any kernels, whist the other, with no scab has a hard,iregular lump, (left of pic) Likewise her foot has a small scab, but can't feel anything beneath. HELP!! Am I just looking for trouble, i.e. is it normal to get these on elbows?? Desperately need some experienced advice

I don't understand the term "elbows" The part of a standard chickens' landing gear that isn't feathered and sometimes has a spur attached is their foot. A chicken's drumstick (or leg) is your and my calf muscle and it starts and ends at a chicken's knee and ankle. When you press on these foot abnormalities what is the hen's reaction? Bumble foot seems to be painful to a chicken. IMHO feather footed fowl are clumsy compared to slick legged birds. She may also be old and arthritic like myself.

 

[Leanora]

Ummm, sorry bout the elbow confusion, I meant her knees. She's not mature yet, only 5mths, so I'll rule out "old and arthritic". She's a large bird, heavy, with very heavily feathered feet, so she does tend to lumber around, but doesn't seem to be in any pain....she also has legmites, so I handle her legs frequently, just puzzled by her lumpy knees.

 

[Eggcessive]

I don't usually do surgery on bumblefoot unless there is swelling and redness or limping from it. Many chickens will get a black dot that doesn't change over time. I do think your chicken has some issues because the hocks should not look like that unless they have been forced to live in a tiny cage with no roost by the previous owner. If she was laying in droppings, she could have foot pad dermatitis on her feet and hocks. The yellowish material on her hocks could be from MS. I would just try cleaning her legs perhaps by doing warm epsom salt soaks daily, and by treating her leg mites with castor oil and rubbing it in well. Feather-footed birds are hard to care for when you can't see the legs.

 

[dawg53]

The leg mites may well be the main problem. Pain/weakness in the legs causing her to perch on hocks. Footpad dermatitis crossed my mind if she had previously been roosting on wet ground or litter.

 

[Aussie-Chook]

It might be a good idea to trim all the leg & foot feathers and see if this doesn't improve walking/mobility. Then soak the legs & feet completely in an epsom salt bath, treat leg mites with castor oil, or tea tree oil mixed with petroleum jelly and observe over a couple days. I was reading just last night (City Chicks by Pat Foreman - The Chicken Whisperer) that fancy leg feathers can be a real hindrance to such birds, and unless you are raising them as show birds, trim them back and give the birds some leg room! They will grow new ones if only to do this temporarily for treatment. Good luck! I just started treating a heavily-picked-on, adopted, Buckeye with lots of missing feathers and some bumblefoot

 

[Leanora]

Thank you so much everyone....it's really helpful to get so much support. I'm treating the legmites with neem oil diluted with olive, and petoleum jelly as well.....like to see the little b...s survive that! think i will trim her feet feathers....they are getting ridiculously large. I don't think her probs are down to previous perch etc conditions....she was free range, but with lots of cockerels, very muddy, no daytime shelter, I think she inherited bugs and beasties, but not much else. She's only 5mths old, so hopefully things'll settle down....maybe it's me suffering from "hen with one chick syndrome..ha ha !