Feathers pulled off one wing, occasionally limping

[FattySmough]

That's bumblefoot. Sorry....

They soaking her feet in an epsom salt bath for 10 - 20 min to soften it up, pick off that thing, try to squeeze out what you can, pack it with antibiotic ointment, cover with gauze, and wrap with vet wrap. Repeat every 1-2 days. It should clear up after a while.

Darn...It won't be fun treating her, but I would rather have practice doing it now than having to learn it later. I guess I'll consider it a learning experience

Do you know of any articles here that go into more detail? Maybe something that shows how to squeeze stuff out and wrap it back up properly? I've never had to treat bumblefoot before so I want to make sure I do everything correctly and don't hurt my bird.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Darn...It won't be fun treating her, but I would rather have practice doing it now than having to learn it later. I guess I'll consider it a learning experience

Do you know of any articles here that go into more detail? Maybe something that shows how to squeeze stuff out and wrap it back up properly? I've never had to treat bumblefoot before so I want to make sure I do everything correctly and don't hurt my bird.

Lemme see what I can find.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Lawdy! I found, like, a bazillion!

Hopefully, this works. It should be a link to my article search results:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threadloom/search?query=Bumblefoot&tab=620

 

[FattySmough]

Thank you so much! you've been very helpful.
Wish me luck with treating my bird!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Thank you so much! you've been very helpful.
Wish me luck with treating my bird!

Heck yes, I wish you luck! Lemme know how it goes. I hope this fixes her up.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Robin, my ISA Brown hen has been progressively losing more and more feathers over the course of about 3 months. I know this would be normal if she was moulting, but it's on one specific wing and she has all the feathers on the rest of her body. It looks like she probably pulled the feathers herself.

As for her limping, you guys may be onto something with bumblefoot. Does this look like bumblefoot?

I have seen my boss hen mount her and pull on her neck, but I have never seen anyone targeting her right wing.

I would probably wanna get my eye on her skin and make sure I'm seeing light pink not angry red below her vent and on her belly. Please note that even if it is nutritional and you fix it.. the balding may not change until those feathers are molted out

For the bumblefoot use a non surgical approach. https://www.tillysnest.com/2015/12/non-surgical-bumblefoot-treatment-html/

Do you see her picking at that wing? The other wing is normal and fully feathered?
I'd absolutely look her over at night after she's gone to roost. Take a flashlight or wear a head lamp and look through her feathers around the vent, under her wings, etc. to see if there's any mites.

Increasing protein, adjusting nutrition may help in the future if the problem *is* nutritional, but with the feathers stripped like that, those won't be replaced until she molts.

 

[FattySmough]

For the bumblefoot use a non surgical approach. https://www.tillysnest.com/2015/12/non-surgical-bumblefoot-treatment-html/

Do you see her picking at that wing? The other wing is normal and fully feathered?
I'd absolutely look her over at night after she's gone to roost. Take a flashlight or wear a head lamp and look through her feathers around the vent, under her wings, etc. to see if there's any mites.

Increasing protein, adjusting nutrition may help in the future if the problem *is* nutritional, but with the feathers stripped like that, those won't be replaced until she molts.

Thank you for the link, I plan on using a non-surgical approach. I don't think I would have the stomach for surgery...I haven't noticed her picking at the wing, but I generally don't spend much more that an hour outside with them each day. I have looked at her at after she went to roost before and not seen any mites. But I didn't look too hard and I didn't wait very long after roosting to check so I will inspect more closely tomorrow night.

 

[FattySmough]

I'll be sure to update any changes to her condition for y'all.

 

[FattySmough]

@Aunt Angus, @Wyorp Rock

I am going to see if I can buy some of the supplies before I have to go in to work today, but I have a few questions first.

-The article says after removing the plug to spray vetericyn on the bottom of the foot and then apply neosporin or duoderm gel. Is the vetericyn spray necessary? I never heard anyone else mention it.
-Do I have to buy specifically vet wrap, or will regular athletic bandages work fine?
-Will my chicken have to be housed seperately after I have started working on her foot, or can she still free range with everyone else? She would probably hate being stuck by herself but I have a good sized dog crate if necessary.

Thanks

 

[FattySmough]

-Will my chicken have to be housed seperately after I have started working on her foot, or can she still free range with everyone else? She would probably hate being stuck by herself but I have a good sized dog crate if necessary.

Thanks

I also have a small coop that is currently occupied by my pullets and cockerel. I could maybe integrate them with the big girls in a pinch to free up the small coop.