Hard black lump between toes on both feet, on two chickens

[billti]

Two days ago I noticed one of the girls was just laying outside the run, and clearly struggling to walk. When she got up I noticed a large lump between her toes on each foot. After a quick search I figured it was bumblefoot, and far enough along (as she wasn't walking) that I probably couldn't save her, and she might be a risk to the others. (See first pic below). So after several happy years, she sadly got the chop :-(

Then today I noticed another girl had EXACTLY the same thing. A swollen lump on each foot in exactly the same spot. Again, seeing as the girls are old and not laying great, and immediate surgery wasn't an option (we're about to go out of town), she got the chop too. However on examining her feet, while it looked a bit like a scab from bumblefoot pics, it looked more like something distinct embedded IN her feet. I pried at it (it was really stuck in there, like her foot had grown around it a bit) and out it popped on both feet. See second picture below.

After a few searches I can't find anything like this discussed, just bumblefoot, which this doesn't appear to be. I do see a thread at https://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/902695/ which sound like EXACTLY the same issue (both feet, multiple birds, hard lump that pops out), but with no resolution as to what it actually is.

If it was one foot on one chicken, I'd think maybe she just got a stone in there somehow. But two birds, identical in both feet, a couple days apart (at least that I noticed it), seems like more the coincidence to me.

Any ideas what this could be? They both had been broody lately, and the nest box wasn't spotless, as one girl like to sleep/poop in there sometimes. I wonder if they both may have clawed some poop in their webbing and then just sat on it for a couple weeks? (Though that still seems unlikely).

Thanks,

- Bill

First girl, swollen feet while standing

Second girl, bottom of her foot after popping the lump out (see lumps on the tissue - one from each foot)

 

[coach723]

Those are likely mud balls. They are usually a combination of moisture, dirt and droppings that get in a wrinkle or crease and slowly build up over time and harden like concrete. They can get quite large and I'm sure are pretty uncomfortable. They can also form on toes and around legs if the conditions are good for that. When in the foot like yours they can sometimes be popped out. Otherwise they take some soaking to soften up so they can be removed. It can take quite a soaking to soften them and may take several times to be able to remove it all. Since your soil conditions make this a thing in your flock, I would do regular feet checks, especially after it's been wet, so that you can find them early.
A couple of pictures below, and an article, you can search for more, and there are video's on youtube:
https://blog.cacklehatchery.com/how-to-remove-dried-mud-caked-on-a-chickens-shanks-and-toes/

 

[billti]

Yep. That looks like it. Sad I didn't find info on this earlier. Oh well, they had a good 5 years with us. Time for some new girls!