Hen with bad foot

[Marshaharrell]

Several months ago, we bought a coop and flock from someone getting out of chickens. Smoky was one of the sweet ones we got. It was obvious right away that she had a foot problem. It appeared she was missing a “toe”, but she walked pretty well.

Yesterday, hubby noticed she was hopping around on one foot, the one with all its “toes”. The area on the other foot seems swollen, but has no apparent injury(blood, laceration, etc) Anyone know what this could be and how we could treat her? Thanks!

 

[nchls school]

I have had a number of birds have foot problem this summer/fall. I am sure that my birds are having problems due to the horrid amount of rain. The yard and coops are damp or wet. With all the rain nothing dries out causing problems with the birds feet. Could this be your problem?

 

[Cragg Klefor]

This looks like a severe case of scaly leg mites. It is possible she lost her toe due to these also. It takes intensive treatment to bring a case like this back towards healthy.
Her feet will need to be soaked, very gently cleaned off - an old toothbrush is often used but be really gentle or you could make her raw. Then you will need to apply an oil to her feet and legs. Vaseline is often used but to be honest I think this case calls for something stronger such as Nustock
This will need to be repeated every few days initially until you can see an improvement.
When you soak her feet if you could post some more photos then that would be great as it will be easier to see what exactly you are dealing with.

It is possible the whole flock has them as they can spread. Look for any sign of raised scales on the rest of the flock. In less severe cases vaseline or basically any oil spread on their feet and up on their legs should work. The idea is to smother the scaly leg mites which live under the scales so you will want to work against the scales.

This can be a very uncomfortable and painful condition for chickens so it needs to be treated. Let us know how you get on!

 

[coach723]

Agree that scaly leg mites need to be dealt with. Can you take a better picture of that foot, top and bottom? It's very hard to tell but it appears to be deformed, like the missing toe was not in the correct place to begin with. It's very hard to tell. If there is a deformity then she may be more likely to land wonky and that foot may be more prone to injury. I would make sure roosts are not too high and that there is plenty of soft bedding below them to help cushion the landing. Something she can step up with and down with, a halfway point, would help her. A good soak in warm water and epsom salts will help with cleaning for treating the mites, and will help with the soreness and swelling in that foot.

 

[Marshaharrell]

I will take better pics tomorrow. We are going to start treatment tonight if it’s not raining too much. I had read that dipping the feet in gasoline works well when paired with Vaseline or A & D ointment. Have you known anyone to try that? I couldn’t find the nustock stuff at our Tractor Supply. Should I order it online or see how the treatment goes?

In this particular coop, the door is at the level of the roost so she doesn’t have to hop at all. My hubby made this coop for my older chickens and those who are injured or otherwise “disabled”. We plan to pamper our chickens until they die of old age, unless they are suffering. I hope Smoky can be saved. She is a sweet chicken.

 

[coach723]

I have not used the gasoline method myself, but it is used. Various methods are discussed here: https://the-chicken-chick.com/scaly-leg-mites-in-chickens/
I usually use castor oil on mine. Any vegetable oil and vaseline will work, you have to smother the mites. If you do choose to use the gasoline method I would make sure that there are not raw areas as it will burn if there is any open wound. It will take some time for the scales to look normal again no matter what method you use.

 

[nchls school]

[/COLOR]I have not used the gasoline method myself, but it is used. Various methods are discussed here: https://the-chicken-chick.com/scaly-leg-mites-in-chickens/
I usually use castor oil on mine. Any vegetable oil and vaseline will work, you have to smother the mites. If you do choose to use the gasoline method I would make sure that there are not raw areas as it will burn if there is any open wound. It will take some time for the scales to look normal again no matter what method you use.

I have not used gasoline, but find the idea of interest. However, I wonder about the harshness of the gasoline. I've washed my hands with gasoline after a paint job or work on the car; not pleasant. How about mineral spirits-would that work? The wife is mentioning other items the she is wondering about: acetone(fingernail polish remover)?

This thread interests me greatly at this time. Below is a picture of two of our roosters. The big guy has been limping for a month or so. I've checked his legs and feet and see nothing wrong. I know it's the pad in that the rooster walks on his toes with his right foot.


I would appreciate any comments on my questions and about what may be wrong with big guy from anyone.

 

[Marshaharrell]

Here are more pics of Smoky. She is currently inside, relaxing before

starting treatment.

 

[coach723]

@Marshaharrell that looks like that is either another toe on top or it's just a bunch of dried stuff that has built up. I would do some soakings to try to soften the dried gunk and see what it looks like as it gets progressively cleaner. Sometimes mud and droppings slowly build up (along with the detritus from the mites) and can be hard as concrete, so it may take several soakings to get it cleaned up to see what is actually going on. Just be gentle and only remove that which loosens so you don't injure any tissue underneath. This thread may be if interest to you, similar in some ways, you can see the improvement with soaking and treatments: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/what-to-do-with-this-foot.1285351/

 

[coach723]

@nchls school your concerns about gasoline are why I have never used it. There are threads by those that have. I try to use the least irritating/volatile methods whenever possible, and only ramp up if necessary. I would worry about the fumes of acetone or mineral spirits. I've never had a really bad case of leg mites because I check regularly and treat early, and have never brought a bird in with them like that. There are loads of threads with different methods people use. Some people have also used spinosad (elector PSP) to dip and say it works really well also, but it's expensive. I've always just soaked and cleaned and then done castor oil.
I can't see anything obvious in your picture. Is roost height maybe too high causing him to tweak it when he lands?