Foot injury

[Alijustis]

Hi, I have a chicken whose been with us for probably about a year and a half. Sometime last month I noticed a scab on her foot. Ever since I have been spraying it with vetericyn + poultry care but it has not been getting better. I was outside watching the chickens while I let them roam around my yard when I noticed she was trying to lay an egg and one of my other chickens kept on pecking at her scab cause if her to bleed. I have them both separated right now but I’m worried about her and would like to know the best way to approach this so her foot can heal, thank you

 

[Alijustis]

Hi, I have a chicken whose been with us for probably about a year and a half. Sometime last month I noticed a scab on her foot. Ever since I have been spraying it with vetericyn + poultry care but it has not been getting better. I was outside watching the chickens while I let them roam around my yard when I noticed she was trying to lay an egg and one of my other chickens kept on pecking at her scab cause if her to bleed. I have them both separated right now but I’m worried about her and would like to know the best way to approach this so her foot can heal, thank you

I have been keeping in a separate space away from the others since I noticed it, she’s only with the other chickens when I let them roam around the yard

 

[Alijustis]

I have been keeping in a separate space away from the others since I noticed it, she’s only with the other chickens when I let them roam around the yard

I forget to attach a picture, here’s what her foot looks like. She’s been acting normally, only difference is she’s been limping a bit. She’s eating and drinking normally

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Let's get some of our Educators here to advise you. I'll tag a few of our best:

@azygous
@Eggcessive
@Wyorp Rock

 

[azygous]

There's a chance this isn't an injury unless you've discovered where and what caused it. Vetericyn is an excellent wound care product, preventing infection and promoting new tissue growth. If a wound fails to heal with regular wound care with a superior product, I would suspect this is a skin cancer.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm sorry to hear this.

 

[Eggcessive]

Azygous has good advice, and she has experience with skin cancers in chickens. I wish there was a way to doctor the wound daily and cover it with 2x2 gauze pad and vet wrap, or a larger bandaid, that would allow her to rejoin her flock. Normally, I don’t suggest covering a chicken wound. BluKote spray, a dyeing blue spray that covers red wounds to prevent pecking, also might be something to use to leave it open to air. I would follow what Azygous thinks about those. Please let us know if the lesion on the leg gets bigger, worse, or shrinks.

 

[azygous]

I would soak the wound daily for a few days. The problem with wounds is the other chickens are attracted to the gore. It triggers their interest in "meat".

You can wrap the leg after applying a triple antibiotic ointment. Using Vetrap elastic bandage, careful to wrap snugly but not too tightly, finish the wrap at the back and press the end firmly so as not to leave a loose end for the chicken to grab and unravel. Chickens are magicians at getting a wrapping undone.

Many of us have a sectioned off area in the run where a chicken patient can recover without being hassled by the flock while still being able to interact with the others, avoiding reintegration later. You can righ something temporary, too.