Chicken with sore , advice please!

[Claire1987]

Hi everyone,
I have 2 chickens of my own and my friend has about 17, while I was at her house I saw them attacking one repeatedly so I took her home with me. I was going to put her in with my 2 girls but when I got her home I noticed she had a sore foot and was quite unsteady on them. I've had her in a dog crate for a few days just to let her recover and today I've taken her out and treated her legs for scaly leg mite but I'm unsure if that's what she's got. She was super thirsty the first few days and she's very skinny, and her wings are like the feathers have been trimmed, but they haven't been
This is a pic of her feet, just after they had been soaked in warm water, they are very hot to the touch. Any advice on what it could be and what I need to do would be awesome please!!

 

[SilkieLoverFarm]

Can you post a picture of the bottom of her feet? Any sores there? Wondering if it's bumblefoot, since her feet are hot to the touch.

How old is she? Does she have any pin feathers anywhere? Could she be molting? Check under her wings too..

 

[Claire1987]

I will try get a pic of them tomorrow, she doesn't like being handled and I'm not very good at handling her yet!
I had a good look under and there was a little puffy red/pink bit underneath but I wasn't sure if that was normal.
I have no idea of her age, my friend doesn't know either as she's got so many of them.
What are pin feathers?
I don't think she's molting as mine have before and this girl looks different, like her feathers are broken if that makes sense
When looking under her wings, what am I looking for specifically please?
Thank you

 

[SilkieLoverFarm]

You'd be looking at new feathers coming out. They're usually wrapped with a wax type coating. If her feathers are broken and she was being picked on, I almost wonder if it was because she was being attacked by several birds? And for how long...

https://www.tillysnest.com/2015/12/non-surgical-bumblefoot-treatment-html/

Above is a good read on bumblefoot that can even appear on the top of the foot. Without you having to do surgery, potentially.

Bumblefoot is a staph infection (can be other bacterias also). I can say from personal experience, that a drop or two of pure lavender oil mixed with some triple antibiotic ointment as a healing carrier works wonders for staph.

Please be careful handling her until you know for sure and/or she's healed.. Wear gloves, disinfect everything, etc.

I'm not sure if you can see the pin feathers in this picture. But look on the top of my hens head, it looks like little pins coming out. Sometimes they can be fully coated, but as they preen themselves or one of their friends do the wax coating starts to fall off which is what is shown in this picture. You can Google "pin feathers chickens" and look at images there also. But they kind of look like needles/pins.

 

[SilkieLoverFarm]

When you try to handle her have you tried to just put a towel on her back and then pick her up that way, holding her wings? Then wrap her up like a burrito, with her feet hanging out?

 

[SilkieLoverFarm]

Add to above post: and her head out, also, of course

 

[SilkieLoverFarm]

When you take pics tomorrow, take some of her, also her feathers of concern. Do they feel/look dry/brittle. You said she was skinny. If she was being attacked all the time this could be the chickens knew that she wasn't well. They could also have been stopping her from eating. Is she eating good now? It could be a vitamin deficiency, she may be lacking protein too.

 

[Claire1987]

Hehe yes I have tried to do that with her head out, that was my plan but she hated me putting it over her wings and holding her, she kept freaking out and trying to flap her wings - I don't know if that's a normal chicken thing, but I can pick my 2 up no worries, this poor girl it almost seems like she's keeping her defences up from being picked on for so long I think it had been going on for a few weeks at least.
She did get better as time went on and she came to trust me, she's a super sweet girl and didn't try peck me or anything. I held her close to my body and basically supported her body while holding her feet in the water for about 15mins, then put them in oil for 5mins, then slathered the Vaseline on her legs and feet. I will let her rest tonight and in the morning try wrap her properly with a towel and go over her better to look for the issue, hopefully she feels safer with me now!
I put all my clothes I was wearing and the towels I used through a hot wash then the drier so hopefully that kills any germs on them. I do live rural though and don't have any supplies until I go into town on Tuesday so I will have to make do with what I can find around the house.
What kind of triple antibiotic ointment did you use? I have betadine ointment if that's suitable for chooks

 

[Claire1987]

I will try get some good pics, I only have my son to help me as I'm a solo parent hence the terrible foot picture earlier lol
Her feathers do look and feel dry and brittle. She is eating so well, I feed her 4 times a day and leave food in there also for her to snack on when she feels the need. From what I saw the day I got her, they had all been fed and then they chased her away to the coop and were attacking her in there so I don't think she got to eat much. Ive been giving her laying pellets first thing in the morning then bits and pieces of scraps during the day as being confined to the crate she can't forage when she feels the need to. she loves sausages and veggies. Is there any high protein food that I may have on hand that is good for her?
I'm trying to give her a broad range of snacks, for the vitamins and to try put some weight on her fast, she loved the pikelets with cream and jam this arvo!! My daughter has named her spirit so hopefully she has a fighting spirit to get better

 

[SilkieLoverFarm]

I personally use any triple antibiotic ointment just like I would use any Vaseline. Yes, that's fine. Neosporin, etc...

I'm sure after you get some more pictures up, and it's not the middle of the night (in the States) many more will chime in here too.

So is she your new chicken now?