Does This Chicken have Bumblefoot? Please Help!

[ChickensGalore1]

Sorry for the bad pic quality! I'm lucky to have gotten that pic! (She doesn't like being held)

I have just recently been introduced to an avian infection recognized as Bumblefoot. I checked each of my 10 chickens for it and found one chicken who seemed to may have the infection. I can not decipher if it is Bumblefoot or just her skin's natural color! Please comment you opinion and how to treat the foot of it has the infection. Will I need to do surgery on it?

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Yes, this bird does have bumblefoot. Surgery is your only option. Here is a good thread on doing the surgery. It is not all that hard to do...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/236649/bumblefoot-surgery-with-pics-and-how-to

If you have any further troubles you can also post this in our emergency section. I have done my share of them and if done right, the bird makes a complete recovery.

The most important thing other than getting the infection out is to keep the foot bandaged until it is completely healed. It can take a month for the wound to heal and the scab to come off. So do not be tempted to leave the bird unbandaged until that scab falls off. Keep the foot dry at all times. Check it often and go back in if need be.

Bandaging is easy. Slice the tube of vet wrap, (you can even get vet wrap at walmart now) into 1 inch slices with a box cutter. Start on the leg above the foot joint and go down and around each toe and webbing a couple of times and back up the leg. Put a piece of gauze over the wound too to protect it from the latex. After packing the wound with neo sporin (without the pain killer) I like to slather on some preparation H. This helps with swelling.

Good luck and keep us posted! Lots of us have done this and lived through it. LOL You will too.

 

[dawg53]

Welcome to BYC. Yes. It's bumblefoot. Here's a link for you, with pics on how to do the surgery.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/236649/bumblefoot-surgery-with-pics-and-how-to
LOL. TwoCrows is a faster typist than me!

 

[ChickensGalore1]

Hello there and welcome to BYC! 

Yes, this bird does have bumblefoot. Surgery is your only option. Here is a good thread on doing the surgery. It is not all that hard to do...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/236649/bumblefoot-surgery-with-pics-and-how-to

If you have any further troubles you can also post this in our emergency section. I have done my share of them and if done right, the bird makes a complete recovery.

The most important thing other than getting the infection out is to keep the foot bandaged until it is completely healed. It can take a month for the wound to heal and the scab to come off. So do not be tempted to leave the bird unbandaged until that scab falls off. Keep the foot dry at all times. Check it often and go back in if need be.

Bandaging is easy. Slice the tube of vet wrap, (you can even get vet wrap at walmart now) into 1 inch slices with a box cutter. Start on the leg above the foot joint and go down and around each toe and webbing a couple of times and back up the leg. Put a piece of gauze over the wound too to protect it from the latex. After packing the wound with neo sporin (without the pain killer) I like to slather on some preparation H. This helps with swelling. 

Good luck and keep us posted! Lots of us have done this and lived through it. LOL You will too.

Hello there and welcome to BYC! 

Yes, this bird does have bumblefoot. Surgery is your only option. Here is a good thread on doing the surgery. It is not all that hard to do...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/236649/bumblefoot-surgery-with-pics-and-how-to

If you have any further troubles you can also post this in our emergency section. I have done my share of them and if done right, the bird makes a complete recovery.

The most important thing other than getting the infection out is to keep the foot bandaged until it is completely healed. It can take a month for the wound to heal and the scab to come off. So do not be tempted to leave the bird unbandaged until that scab falls off. Keep the foot dry at all times. Check it often and go back in if need be.

Bandaging is easy. Slice the tube of vet wrap, (you can even get vet wrap at walmart now) into 1 inch slices with a box cutter. Start on the leg above the foot joint and go down and around each toe and webbing a couple of times and back up the leg. Put a piece of gauze over the wound too to protect it from the latex. After packing the wound with neo sporin (without the pain killer) I like to slather on some preparation H. This helps with swelling. 

Good luck and keep us posted! Lots of us have done this and lived through it. LOL You will too.

I'm a bit younger (a teenager), should I still attempt the surgery? And is it possible that my chicken my go in shock or bleed out from the surgery?

 

[TwoCrows]

Quote: Do you have an avian vet or a country vet that you can take this bird to that might do the surgery? Being a teenager shouldn't matter as long as your parents are ok with you doing this. They can help you do this as well. Maybe have them read the thread and have them do it for you?

There isn't a lot of bleeding with this sort of thing. That is the problem with chicken feet is they don't have really good circulation. The gunk you are going to dig out of the pad will all be dead and infected. There won't be much blood really. Once you carve all this out of there, you might get some toward the end. You can pinch off the leg to stop any bleeding. I have never had any issues with much blood with these things. You are going to wrap a towel around the bird and it's wings and lay them on your lap to do this. They don't go into shock and it isn't all that painful as this gunk is all dead anyway.

If you are unsure, don't do anything and seek out a veterinarian or someone that has done this before.

 

[ChickensGalore1]

Do you have an avian vet or a country vet that you can take this bird to that might do the surgery? Being a teenager shouldn't matter as long as your parents are ok with you doing this. They can help you do this as well. Maybe have them read the thread and have them do it for you? 

There isn't a lot of bleeding with this sort of thing. That is the problem with chicken feet is they don't have really good circulation. The gunk you are going to dig out of the pad will all be dead and infected. There won't be much blood really. Once you carve all this out of there, you might get some toward the end. You can pinch off the leg to stop any bleeding. I have never had any issues with much blood with these things. You are going to wrap a towel around the bird and it's wings and lay them on your lap to do this. They don't go into shock and it isn't all that painful as this gunk is all dead anyway. 

If you are unsure, don't do anything and seek out a veterinarian or someone that has done this before. 

Ok thank you so much!

 

[nj2wv]

welcome to BYC !!

 

[Book Em Danno25]

Welcome to BYC!!

Glad you joined the flock. If you have any questions, feel free to ask around.

Turkenstein25

 

[drumstick diva]

Please let us know the outcome. I know we want to hear surgery has been successful and he is on the mend. Good luck.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!