Hen with Red Sores on Feet

[kedwards62]

I've got a year old hen with sores on her feet. Saw her limping about a week ago and her foot is getting worse each day. I don't know what the cause is though so I don't know how to treat. Any ideas?

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. What type of bedding is she on? Is there any wire flooring? Rats can sometimes bite feet on the roost at night, and she or other chickens may be pecking them. How do the bottoms of her foot pads look? The toe in the foreground looks dark like dead tissue or severe bruising. It doesn't look like a usual frostbitten toe, though.

 

[kedwards62]

We use straw on the floor of our coop. The run is dirt and then they have a bit of pasture/tree row to graze on during the day. It very well could be from something that she stepped on in the tree row as there are many downed branches, sticks and such. We have some hardwire cloth under the roost to catch the manure, and sometimes I think they may walk on it-but not usually.

I don't think it's frostbite. She was fine all winter and it's been nice here for the last month or so and she just now started acting funny.

I do think she's pecking it and making it worse. I tried soaking it in Apple Cider Vinegar today and then tried wrapping it in electrical tape to keep it from getting more irritated/pecked. It took her all of 2 minutes to get that off.

The bottom of her feet looks fine. I did a check for mites as well and saw none. She does have yellowish manure stuck to her hind feathers though-not the typical color.

 

[Eggcessive]

Epsom salts in warm water or betadine in water would be good for soaking. Hopefully this will heal up soon.