Hen found dead

[bertiesmum]

Hi,

We are very sad. We have lost our hen Pat. We beleive she had bumblefoot and thought we had got it all out. The only symtoms she was showing was sitting down all the time and not herself. Does anyone have any ideas what could have caused her death and if it could of been the bumblefoot?

Please help.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Mortality is usually low but half of those affected can die if left untreated. Maybe her reluctance to move kept her from getting enough food and water.
Was she still roosting?

 

[Michael Apple]

Bumble foot is caused by a staph infection that enters the wound of a chicken. The staph bacteria could have traveled throughout the hen's body, or made her weak immune system susceptible to a secondary infection. Amoxicillin is a better antibiotic in pill or capsule form to give since it is more easily absorbed in the digestive system. Injections of Gentamicin or Baytril have also proven effective against staph infections where resistance of penicillin was seen. I'm sorry you lost your hen. I know how you feel.

 

[bertiesmum]

She was eating and drinking and other than keep sitting down and acting depressed she seemed healthy. She was roosting until last night my dad found her in a nesting box so he put her back up to roost but then she got down in the night and died. We feel so upset and my dad keeps blaming him self. We have kept bantams for years but have only recently starting discovering these things.

If we discover bumblefoot in any of the other hens what advise other than getting it out can you suggest?

Thanks for your help. x

 

[ChickenCanoe]

As Michael said, use a couple different antibiotics as staph is so resistant. It should be injected directly into the wound.
It's usually from bacteria entering the foot in an injury. Keep the litter dry and deep. Avoid high roosts and have the edges rounded off. Make sure there aren't any sharp things around like wire, metal, rocks.

We always feel guilty when something seems avoidable. Sometimes it isn't though.

 

[Michael Apple]

As Michael said, use a couple different antibiotics as staph is so resistant. It should be injected directly into the wound.
It's usually from bacteria entering the foot in an injury. Keep the litter dry and deep. Avoid high roosts and have the edges rounded off. Make sure there aren't any sharp things around like wire, metal, rocks.

We always feel guilty when something seems avoidable. Sometimes it isn't though.

Yup. Those are necessary precautions. A damp environment in the coop can cause problems too. The skin on the foot pads can become more prone to punctures because of that. Use a good quality pine shaving litter free of splinters, and make it deep on the floor ( 6-8" ) It is also a good practice to supplement water with vitamin-mineral-probiotic powder 3 times a week during weather extremes, and after antibiotic treatments. Avian Super Pack and Probios dispersible powder are both good quality products for that. 1/4 tsp of Avian Super Pack and 1/2 tsp of Probios per gallon of water helps.