Hen with bumblefoot in the thigh?

[Wi_Pida]

Is it possible for a hen to have bumblefoot in her thigh? While picking up one of the hens, I felt a hardened area in the thigh. It’s quite large, pretty much takes up the whole thigh area and is flattened. I checked under her feathers and there’s no sign of inflammation or scabbing. She’s not limping or favoring the leg or anything like that. There’s no signs of lice or mites either. So pics won’t help diagnoses. Any ideas or what to do about it?

 

[azygous]

Bumblefoot is an infection of the foot, usually staph. It starts with a foot injury, a bruise or a splinter or a laceration, and it becomes infected, and it's usually identified by the blackened scab over the infected pus pocket.

Though wounds occur on the other parts of the chicken's body, we don't have a cute word to describe it. Maybe BYC should run a contest to label wounds or lesions found on the thigh, breast, neck, and back. I see a huge need here, do you? (BYC word junkies, alert!)

I think we all would benefit from a photo of this lump. It's not easy to see with feathers covering it, and it's not going to be easy to read a two dimensional photo to fully absorb a three dimensional lump, but here's what I suggest.

Take a spray bottle filled with water. Wet the area thoroughly so the feathers become saturated and they become clumped and plastered to the skin. Try to smooth the wet feathers away from the lump so the skin is visible. Use a light at an angle to the lump so the lump is shaded on the side away from the light. This will give the lesion contour and make it easier to see in the photo.

It sounds like a cyst which is often harmless. But if it's affecting her walking and causing pain, we need to try to figure out what it is and what to do about it.

 

[Wi_Pida]

Bumblefoot is an infection of the foot, usually staph. It starts with a foot injury, a bruise or a splinter or a laceration, and it becomes infected, and it's usually identified by the blackened scab over the infected pus pocket.

Though wounds occur on the other parts of the chicken's body, we don't have a cute word to describe it. Maybe BYC should run a contest to label wounds or lesions found on the thigh, breast, neck, and back. I see a huge need here, do you? (BYC word junkies, alert!)

I think we all would benefit from a photo of this lump. It's not easy to see with feathers covering it, and it's not going to be easy to read a two dimensional photo to fully absorb a three dimensional lump, but here's what I suggest.

Take a spray bottle filled with water. Wet the area thoroughly so the feathers become saturated and they become clumped and plastered to the skin. Try to smooth the wet feathers away from the lump so the skin is visible. Use a light at an angle to the lump so the lump is shaded on the side away from the light. This will give the lesion contour and make it easier to see in the photo.

It sounds like a cyst which is often harmless. But if it's affecting her walking and causing pain, we need to try to figure out what it is and what to do about it.

I’ll see what I can do about getting a pic. She’s soaking right now.

 

[Wi_Pida]

Here’s what I was able to get for pics. The first one is showing my hand wrapped around it (the thigh is under my fingers. The second is a pick on how thick it is. The third is another pic on how thick it is. And the last is another angle of how big it is. The leg in all pics are under the fingers.

To give a perspective of how big it is my finger are 3 1/2” long and my thumb is 2 1/2” long. The tip of my finger is 1/2” thick.

 

[azygous]

It appears to be pretty large. What would you say the diameter measures? And how much in centimeters would you say it rises above the normal contour of the thigh?

This lump, being hard, is either a harmless cyst or a cancer tumor. Does it seem to be causing her pain? Does she walk favoring that leg or peck at the lump?

 

[Wi_Pida]

I can fully separate the lump from the thigh. It’s about 4-5” long, 3-4” wide and 1” thick. I would never have found it if I hadn’t picked her up because she’s acting completely normal. Also it’s above the knee joint.

 

[azygous]

It is free-floating, not anchored? If so, that is very encouraging as a cancer tumor has roots and you wouldn't be able to move it around. This is sounding more like a cyst.

I have a cyst on the back of my neck that's been there for thirty years and never caused a problem. Cysts are like that. If this isn't causing pain or trouble walking, just keep a watch on it. Also, her behavior. If it grows and changes in other ways, or if she acts like it causes pain, then it needs to be looked at again, perhaps by a vet.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

May I ask how old she is? I'm just curious

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Though wounds occur on the other parts of the chicken's body, we don't have a cute word to describe it. Maybe BYC should run a contest to label wounds or lesions found on the thigh, breast, neck, and back. I see a huge need here, do you? (BYC word junkies, alert!)

I've read about bumble breast before, but I'm guessing the word was created for the post by the poster New words would be nice

 

[Wi_Pida]

May I ask how old she is? I'm just curious

Just 9 months old. And she’s an Australorp