Help with a hen with foot blisters and loss of weight...

[HenOnTheHill]

I have a 1 year old hen who recently began to lose weight. She stopped laying a few weeks ago. She is a little slower than usual, but still active and comes out to free range in the yard with the rest of the flock. I wormed her and checked for mites to rule those problems out. When checking her over, I noticed a bump/blister on the top of her foot. Now it seems as though she has developed multiple "blisters." I cannot see any black dots/scabs that would indicate bumble foot, but I have not had any birds with that condition so far and am not sure what I am really looking at here. Her appetite has begun to really decrease and I am worried I will lose her soon if I can't figure out what is wrong. Any suggestions would be incredibly helpful. These are some photos of her feet...

 

[Eggcessive]

The one very reddened area in the first picture does look like bumblefoot coming through the top of the foot from below. The other marks look like some sort of bites, maybe from insects. Or it could be some sort of bacterial infection. I would probably dust the chickens, clean out the bedding, and dust it as well. Inspect her for mites, and other insects, and be aware that the poultry mite is only out at night in the dark, while living in the crevices of the wood in the daytime. Next I would soak her feet once a day in warm epsom salts to see if that will help to heal them. Here is a link with a similar picture of bumblefoot: http://citygirlfarmingblog.com/2013...r-whats-that-chicken-doing-in-a-cat-hospital/

 

[HenOnTheHill]

The example you attached does look very similar. If it is bumble foot, but I cannot see any black dot, how do I remove it? I'll start soaking her feet in epson salts in the meantime, but it seems as though it is necessary to physically remove the infection. Any additional suggestions for proceeding? I did dust her and the rest of the birds, as well as their nesting boxes and haven't seen anything on anyone as of late. Usually I inspect at night with a headlamp when everyone is settled in. Would any antibiotics be helpful? Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

Penicillin or Gallimycin (erythromycin) are the only meds from the feed store that may help if it is a staph infection. If a vet is a possibility, other antibiotics may be better. Could their be other insects possible outside making those red marks, such as chiggers, ants, or fleas? Is she on the metal flooring all of the time, or is she out side too? You could try lancing the largest red spot, and squeezing it to see if you get any pus out, or you could wait a few days to soak it first.