Continuous Bumblefoot

[Gymchyk84]

Hello! We currently have 16 hens and a rooster. They free range most of the day, which leads to frequent cases of bumblefoot. We have many other responsibilities that make attending to multiple bandaged feet every day tedious.
I am considering putting half of the hens and our rooster with the worst cases of bumblefoot on antibiotics since I know we cannot eat those eggs. The other half we will manage by using our external wound care regiment so that we can continue to consume their eggs.

Are there any suggestions on how to manage this better long term? Even spraying all their feet with blukote every couple nights is not something we can make time for at this point. Perhaps build a movable run that keeps them from rocky, sharp areas, but also allows them access to grass and bugs?

 

[azygous]

Your last sentence contains your solution. Even one case of bumblefoot should signal the need for assessing the safety of the environment that your chickens occupy.

Many cases of bumblefoot are the result of inadequate bedding under roosting perches to cushion dismounts. Also perches that are too high for heavier chickens can cause severe impact injuries to feet, and this turns into bumblefoot. So check out the coop for these possibilities.

Free range hazards would involve splinters and thorns, not so much gravel and rocks. Prickly pear cactus is a hazard as it grows in every state of the US. If you use gardening bark mulch, it may contain wood splinters that can embed in foot pads and turn into festering infections.

Antibiotics are not an efficient method of treating bumblefoot as they are too diffuse to target a localized external infection. Individual wound treatment is still the only effective treatment. But making the effort to remove all of the environmental hazards should eventually pay off with fewer and fewer new cases of foot injuries.

 

[coach723]

If you have many birds with persistent bumblefoot then likely something in the environment is the reason. Any kind of foot injury, scratch, scrape, puncture, etc can let the bacteria in that starts the bumblefoot. If you have lots of sharp rocks then I would try to keep them away from those areas or if possible remove the rocks. Having roosts too high can be an issue, they get minor injuries from jumping down. Roosts and ramps that are splintery can be an issue so switching to something that won't give splinters, or sealing with paint can help. Birds that are in very wet conditions can develop bumblefoot from the irritation, same with environments that have heavy build up of droppings. Bumblefoot often doesn't respond to antibiotics, you really have to get the infection cleaned out for it to heal.

 

[Gymchyk84]

If you have many birds with persistent bumblefoot then likely something in the environment is the reason. Any kind of foot injury, scratch, scrape, puncture, etc can let the bacteria in that starts the bumblefoot. If you have lots of sharp rocks then I would try to keep them away from those areas or if possible remove the rocks. Having roosts too high can be an issue, they get minor injuries from jumping down. Roosts and ramps that are splintery can be an issue so switching to something that won't give splinters, or sealing with paint can help. Birds that are in very wet conditions can develop bumblefoot from the irritation, same with environments that have heavy build up of droppings. Bumblefoot often doesn't respond to antibiotics, you really have to get the infection cleaned out for it to heal.

Thank you. We DO live on a tropical island, so finding a balance to maintain a clean coop without encouraging mold is challenging. We converted a plastic tool shed to be our coop for easy cleaning. There is nothing to cushion the flooring since it rains so much. We will start by lowering the roosting poles and maybe painting them.

 

[Gymchyk84]

Your last sentence contains your solution. Even one case of bumblefoot should signal the need for assessing the safety of the environment that your chickens occupy.

Many cases of bumblefoot are the result of inadequate bedding under roosting perches to cushion dismounts. Also perches that are too high for heavier chickens can cause severe impact injuries to feet, and this turns into bumblefoot. So check out the coop for these possibilities.

Free range hazards would involve splinters and thorns, not so much gravel and rocks. Prickly pear cactus is a hazard as it grows in every state of the US. If you use gardening bark mulch, it may contain wood splinters that can embed in foot pads and turn into festering infections.

Antibiotics are not an efficient method of treating bumblefoot as they are too diffuse to target a localized external infection. Individual wound treatment is still the only effective treatment. But making the effort to remove all of the environmental hazards should eventually pay off with fewer and fewer new cases of foot injuries.

Thank you! We will start by lowering the roosting poles. We live in a wet, tropical climate, so there is no cushioning on the floor. It molds too quickly given the frequent rain.

 

[azygous]

Consider rubber floor mats of the sort used in restaurant kitchens to cushion hard floors that can cause spinal, leg, and foot stress and long term injury. These wouldn't mold and would have a measure of cushioning to chicken feet that could make a very big difference.