Completely gross fatty tumor hard growth on rooster leg.

[RedPepperFarm]

I have pictures, and they are gross - but not as bad as the smell. This bird... I get teased about saving a rooster. I like him.

He started with scaly leg mites when I got him from a friend. His legs were SUPER scaled up, and tons of the junk started falling off as we treated. Once that was gone, though, a cyst looking thing on his left leg started to...spread. It looked like you could pop it - and I tried to lance it with a sharp needle. After soaking it. The rooster didn't flinch, btw. Slathered him in Bacitracin and put him back in his own run, alone, as he has been since this started.

Over the last month the growth has compounded, with older stuff hardening into kind of a crust, but harder. I have pictures here. Tonight I held him and poked around. It seemed wholly like dead skin. Black in color. Part of it peeled away to reveal a cavity inside slimed with thick pus. I mean this is really gross. AND it smells, to boot. I messed with it for a while longer, then slathered it again and off he went to bed.

What the heck could this be? He's lame, btw, almost totally on that leg. Otherwise seems fine. Could it be a result of the really terrible leg mites he came to me with? He's also been on an oral antibiotic, really to no avail, he's off it now.

 

[Dad of the coop]

It looks like a really bad case of bumble foot. I would get some advice from a vet on possibly removing it.

 

[ten chicks]

Get this bird to a vet ASAP,that is a very severe infection and the foul smell is not good,tissue is rotting.

 

[RedPepperFarm]

I thought maybe that - but can Bumblefoot start on the leg? This started near the joint and progressed down. I've always seen it on the pad of the foot. Maybe infection is infection, though.

 

[RedPepperFarm]

So went to the vet - I don't usually take birds to the vet. I always CAN, and of course I know that a vet can usually answer questions, but I like to know how to deal with these on my own because I have a flock of chickens, and a vet isn't really a viable option for chickens. Culling them is, but this guy is pretty cool and I like having him around.

Anyway, this is what she said.

First she said "Ew."

Then she told me it didn't look consistent with Bumblefoot - but she understood why we thought it may be. Her conclusion was that somewhere along the way the skin opened up along the leg and infection got in, She said that it was not in the bone, and also said that in chickens, infection usually doesn't move past the joint. I thought that was interesting. She didn't think it was immediately or even medium term life threatening (probably sealed his fate with my luck). She is aware that I like to pick at things, so she suggested debriding. Also soaking in Epson salt and gave me a strong ish antibiotic, oral. Thought he'd do ok, and is interested to see the results. But no panic. Sully the rooster was a gentleman as always.

 

[ten chicks]

I disagree with diagnosis of this not being life threatening and i have seen infections "move past the joint". Rather a cavalier attitude from vet regarding this issue,many birds have lost limbs due to this type of infection. The only thing i do agree with is debriding to remove necrotic tissue and antibiotics.

 

[RedPepperFarm]

Oh of course anything is possible, but a movement and heat analysis suggested hat the infection was contained in tissue. We're in a very heavy chicken farming area, both organic and industrial - most of the time it's a strictly economic decision to even treat. The fact that the species was in the office at all was a source of interest. I spent the $25 to know when to call it a day of it happens again, and apparently i don't need to cull if I don't want to. He's already 100% better after he soak!