Help worried for my chickens foot

Fluffybutts123

In the Brooder
May 23, 2024
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My 4 month Wyandotte has a swollen claw toe and joint and I don’t know why? Can anyone help she’s a lovely girl, I have soaked it in Epsom salt and wrapped it up for now
 

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It looks like a case of bumblefoot to me. Not uncommon but not easy to cure. It is a staph infection that starts as a scratch and becomes infected with the bacteria. Many people use surgery and squeeze out the lump of puss but that is a rather old school approach. You can cure it without cutting open which delays healing. Continue the daily warm epsom salt baths, a direct injection into the swollen spot with a combiotic helps. Keeping it clean is very important. It is very common in waterfowl and raptors. U of Kentucky has found using an HEC ointment helps draw out the infection. Hypericum, Echinacea and Calendula.
Keeping the bird inside with fresh bedding helps to keep it clean.
What is your location?
 
My 4 month Wyandotte has a swollen claw toe and joint and I don’t know why? Can anyone help she’s a lovely girl, I have soaked it in Epsom salt and wrapped it up for now
That looks like bumble foot. If you can find a scab/ injury, you should try to carefully open it, then wrap the foot when the infection is drained out.
 
It looks like a case of bumblefoot to me. Not uncommon but not easy to cure. It is a staph infection that starts as a scratch and becomes infected with the bacteria. Many people use surgery and squeeze out the lump of puss but that is a rather old school approach. You can cure it without cutting open which delays healing. Continue the daily warm epsom salt baths, a direct injection into the swollen spot with a combiotic helps. Keeping it clean is very important. It is very common in waterfowl and raptors. U of Kentucky has found using an HEC ointment helps draw out the infection. Hypericum, Echinacea and Calendula.
Keeping the bird inside with fresh bedding helps to keep it clean.
What is your location?
I am in the uk 🇬🇧, what confuses me is it doesn’t look like bumblefoot when I look it up. as the end of her back claw looks strange not the middle of her foot. It’s not as easy to get stuff over here in the uk I been trying to look for natural remedies but feel like I’m going round in circles and can see that she’s not a happy chicken right now she is just sitting on a perch lot 😪
 
Don't feel like the lone ranger. There isn't a source of HEC ointment in the US that I have found. They were all in Europe.

Yes usually it is a lump in the foot pad but I've had it on the end of toes as well. It is always accompanied by a small scab in the middle. Sometimes so small as to be nearly imperceptible. Once the infecton is in the foot, the scab can disappear but the lump remains.
If not cured it can lead to other more serious issues. I ended up taking a rare rooster to the vet and had an x-ray. One of its toes was infected and the x-ray showed the infection had attacked the bone and ate it away.
 
Thank you I’ll keep soaking it and spraying it and keep it covered and hope she shows some improvement soon 🙏🏻 I’m spraying Vetericyn plus on it at the moment.
 
I meant to mention that I ended up making my own HEC ointment. It wasn't perfect because I'm just a guy mixing things in my kitchen but I did get the ingredients from a high end herbal outlet here in town and even took a Saturday class there on how to make it.
I can't find it now but I found an article online for the procedure used to treat bumblefoot in raptors at U of Ky.
Each ingredient serves a different purpose but if you can acquire just one or two of them, it couldn't hurt. The only bird I was unable to save was the one where the infection had gone into the bone.
I couldn't figure out why I suddenly had a rash of bumblefoot in my flocks. Then I discovered the remains of some chicken wire still attached to one of the roost boards and a couple sharp wires were pointing up. I'm sure that was the problem.
 
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To me it looks like she injured/cut her toes on something like shards or got tangled in a wire.
The tip of her back toe also looks infected and in addition to the soaks and local application of antibiotic spray and ointment she might be in need of some antibiotics to stop the infection from spreading.
 
Soak the food daily in warm Epsom salts water. Many use sugardine (sugar plus povidone iodine made into a paste) and applied with a 2x2 gauze dressing with vet wrap. Store the excess in a clean container. It is changed every 2 days, and may help draw out infection. Other drawing salve may be used. Some also use use a coy pond antibiotic to soak feet as well. There are many methods to treat bumble foot.
 
Thank you kindly for all your advice she is much the same today I’ll keep going I’ll update in a few days
 

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