Hen keeps sitting down //Help//

[fatimastic]

Keep trying with the bumblefoot and soak until all of it is out. Will someone be at the house to watch her?

My mother will be there, yes.

 

[fatimastic]

What is your chicken coop/run setup?

We have soil as the beddings in the main coop and the run. And there is this common chicken ladder leading up to the shelter+egg area.

 

[6BeachChicks]

Is the run predator proof?

 

[fatimastic]

Is the run predator proof?

After renovations, yes. It's predator proof.

 

[6BeachChicks]

Could you put her in a comfy box in your house with some food and water? And ask your mom to check on her for you until you get home.

 

[fatimastic]

Could you put her in a comfy box in your house with some food and water? And ask your mom to check on her for you until you get home.

We did put her in a comfy box but just jumps rights out of there and prefers to sleep on the floor.

For bumblefoot, I'd use an old terrycloth rag to dry her foot semi-roughly after she's had a good 15 to 20 minute soak in a warm bath. Add Epsom salts to the bath if you can, as they're beneficial. Temperature of the bath should be hot, yet placing your entire hand and wrist in the water and leaving it there should not be painful. The heat will help to express the pus kernel. The terry rags nap helps snag any loose skin around the plug, making it easier to catch and pull it open without a scalpel or knife. Once open, and while wearing protective gloves (bumblefoot is septic), apply firm yet gentle pressure to excise the plug (like you'd squeeze out a pimple), getting all the cheesy goo out of the wound. Fill the resulting wound with triple antibiotic and fashion a sports-tape bootie over the wound to keep the worst of the dirt out. Change bandage every couple days and examine the wound for continued infection. Be mindful that while sometimes this can be corrected in one treatment, some birds require multiple attempts to clear the entire infection.
Keeping you and your feathered family in my prayers.

I did try the method you suggested. The plug was extremely hard. On the top most black layer came out. I did let her soak in for about 20 mins in lukewarm epsom salt water.

Not all the gunk came out. What should I do? Do I have to cut her up?

 

[6BeachChicks]

We did put her in a comfy box but just jumps rights out of there and prefers to sleep on the floor.
I did try the method you suggested. The plug was extremely hard. On the top most black layer came out. I did let her soak in for about 20 mins in lukewarm epsom salt water.

Not all the gunk came out. What should I do? Do I have to cut her up?

Ok, can you rise the blood off and tell me what it looks like?

 

[Ebony Rose]

Not all the gunk came out. What should I do? Do I have to cut her up?

No. Soak her again the next day, same procedure; the terry rag may or may not be as effective on a fresh scab, but the squeezing should be easier. Avoid cutting until it becomes obvious (after several bathing sessions) that you cannot remove all of the pus. Keep in mind that you are providing this bird much needed relief each time you are able to remove any of the pus buildup; in other words, don't beat yourself up over any discomfort they may experience due to bathing, or squeezing etc. The ultimate goal is to remove ALL of the pus kernel as leaving any of it will just give the wound more bacteria to grow on. Sometimes you just cannot get it all in one sitting, so persistence is key. Untreated bumblefoot can lead to sepsis and death. Hang in there.

Keeping you and your feathered family in my prayers.

 

[fatimastic]

Ok, can you rise the blood off and tell me what it looks like?

I bandaged her up but I do remember it being thick. Like I couldn't push anything out other than blood.

 

[fatimastic]

No. Soak her again the next day, same procedure; the terry rag may or may not be as effective on a fresh scab, but the squeezing should be easier. Avoid cutting until it becomes obvious (after several bathing sessions) that you cannot remove all of the pus. Keep in mind that you are providing this bird much needed relief each time you are able to remove any of the pus buildup; in other words, don't beat yourself up over any discomfort they may experience due to bathing, or squeezing etc. The ultimate goal is to remove ALL of the pus kernel as leaving any of it will just give the wound more bacteria to grow on. Sometimes you just cannot get it all in one sitting, so persistence is key. Untreated bumblefoot can lead to sepsis and death. Hang in there.

Keeping you and your feathered family in my prayers.

Thanks for the prayers!

Wouldn't epsom salt water sting her wound? Should I keep her away from the flock?