Cochin foot feathers encased in mud "stones"

[mygalmyra]

I have looked and looked and can find nothing about this condition & have had banty cochins for years. Embarrassed and feeling negligent in posting

this pic, but these are the "stones" with feathers embedded that I cut off my four-year old roo's feet tonight, after noticing the other day that he "rattled" as he scooted along & seemed to be dragging gravel somehow. These smooth hard cylinders look, feel, and sound like smooth stones, and some of them are quite large - an inch or longer; some look like beads, others just forming. The bottoms of his poor feet are encased in them like cement on the feather side of his feet, which are pink & red there and must be so very sore. I've checked the entire flock (20 but he's the only cochin or feathered-foot fella) and everyone else is fine. It has been an extraordinarily brutal wet winter here in western WA, and yet I thought the flock was ok since they free-range, have trees & shrubs to forage under and have a large, dry coop open to them from morning til night when they are closed in. Do these look like anything other than just dried mud? I haven't found any diseases or fungi that mention feathers encased in mud, so am hopeful it's just Ruby's bum luck. I have quarantined him just in case. If indeed this is just nasty mud buildup, what is the least traumatic was to restore his wee feet to health? Many thanks

 

[emmaellis111]

It looks just like dried up mud. To help with the sores either soak his poor feet in salt water which is also good/ helps get rid of fungi.or you could rub some baby bum cream on his sores. Personally I would soak him in warm salt water just in case it's a fungi problem. Xx

 

[mygalmyra]

Thank you for the response. I have never seen mud do that and it was most worrisome. Tending to little Ruby with as much time as it takes to get the caked on mud & sores gone. He is on the back porch in a crate lined with deep shavings for comfort. Not happy, but thankfully ok. Thanks again.