Does this look like bumblefoot?

[cocoloco]

I own a black sexlink, just over 1 1/2 yrs old, who was adopted from an overcrowded egg farm. Before taking her, I thoroughly checked her over....eyes/nose were clear, no mites, she had a big wart on one leg and black spots on the bottom of her feet. The former owner told me those were normal feet for a black sex link - I am no expert on poultry and I knew even less then, so I took his word for it and brought her home. The wart was gone within 2 months - She has been healthy and laying regularly ever since. This morning I noticed her limping and favoring her right leg. We brought her in and soaked her feet in a bath of warm water and Vetricyn. I gave her Rooster Booster B12 vitamins and baby aspirin from a syringe, then dried her feet and inspected them. There was no bleeding, swelling, etc. They look exactly like they did when I got her. After, we put her down on the rug - she proceeded to walk NORMALLY - no limping, no problems. I wasn't fooled - and made an appointment tomorrow morning with our vet. I am posting photos of her feet side-by-side, the underside of each - and a beauty shot of her taken an hour later on my porch - holding up her right leg. Is this bumblefoot? More info: I have 7 free range birds,

all eat organic layer feed and calcium free choice. They get plenty of water with ACV in it - which they love.

Every afternoon, they get a small snack - leftover green scraps - kale, lettuce, or spinach...with a bit of fruit added. Against my advice, my husband throws them oats and mealworms in the morning (I know, I know, too many snacks.)

 

[cocoloco]

Ooops - forgot to mention, I have owned her for almost a year.

 

[Kathy Golla]

Hmm. There is a lot going on with those feet. A lot of small spots on not the pad of the foot.
Nothing looks extremely angry.
Her toenails look long. But not overly. Is she limping only on the concrete?

 

[junebuggena]

Looks like pigment spots, not bumbles. Not seeing anything abnormal at all.

 

[Eggcessive]

The dark spots look a bit like leftover pododermatitis, basically bumblefoot over more of the whole foot. Did she or does she now have soiled bedding in her coop? Wet or muddy conditions, and heavily soiled bedding with fecal material can cause pododermatitis. Soaking them in warm Epsom salts or betadine and water daily may be beneficial. Pine shavings tend to be better bedding than hay or straw, in keeping them dry. A multivitamin for poultry, such as Rooster Booster vitamins with lactobacillus might be better than just B-12. Her limping may also be due to a sprain or injury.

Junebugga may be right about pigment spots, since I have not had that breed before. My chickens have had pigment or spots on top of the feet and legs, but not on foot pads. Google a few pictures of pododermatits in chickens, and take a look at the dark spots in those and compare.

 

[cocoloco]

Thank you to all for the observations and advice. As I mentioned, we rescued her from a farm. The farm coop consisted of one 20' x 20' room in a barn with 40 chickens stuffed into it. It had only a high narrow window for light - and about 8" of fecal matter that they were stepping on and laying eggs in. She lived in those horrible conditions for 8 months. I had to wash her when we brought her home - she was stinky. When she first walked in our yard, she was goose-stepping slowly, not used to the firm ground. My coop has pine shavings in the summer, I switch to chopped straw in the winter. I only have 7 birds so it is easy to clean the droppings every day. My birds never have damp soiled bedding. Last week, it rained for 3 days straight. We have a small leak along one side of our coop so, once the rain stopped, I took out the straw a foot in from that floor line - and let it dry for a day. I replaced it all yesterday afternoon -but I am wondering, in the interim, if she flew down from the high perch she loves and landed hard on the wood floor.

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, I was referring to the possibility due to her past mistreatment or conditions at her former home when I asked about "leftover pododermatitis." I am glad that she has a good home with you.

 

[cocoloco]

Hello Eggcessive - I understood that, no offense taken - I don't have kids, so I obsess about my chickens and their coop! Lol. I apologize if I sounded defensive - I am beating myself up because I brought her to the vet this morning and, after x-rays and a thorough exam, we concluded she jammed or sprained her foot from a hard landing on the wood floor. In my quest to let the floor edges dry completely, I short-changed them on hay for one night - and look what happened. Oh well - it's the best diagnosis out of 3 possible outcomes: broken leg, sprained leg, or bumblefoot - I'll take the sprain. I bought even more hay and shavings today and loaded the coop - now there is a thick cushion on the floor to help her heal. Dr did not bind the leg or anything - said she should be fine in a week or so. She was going to give me a scrip for an anti-inflammatory - but it was one that required us to stop eating eggs for 2 months. I told her I preferred to give her a low-dose of aspirin for a few days. She checked all the black spots on the bottom of her feet and concluded it was pigment. Thank you to all for the great opinions and wise advice. I love this BYC group.

 

[Eggcessive]

Thank you for the update. I didn't think you were defensive, but I sure am glad that I was wrong about the bumblefoot. I love it when people can get an answer from the vet. Hopefully, she will heal soon. My big coop has a dirt floor with pine shavings, but my small coop has a vinyl floor, and it is very slippery even with pine shavings. I am thinking of getting one of those 4x8 horse stall mats to gibe them a little more traction.

Keep us posted on how she gets along.