Hen with strange growth on leg, yellow scabs then going black.

[Toritachi]

Hi there, I'm hoping someone can give me an idea of what this hen has. She is old and I would like to give her a chance to walk again properly if I can. She was given to my elderly parents a few years back and often went off into the forest. She was very hard to catch and the only time we could catch her was when her nails got too long. At that time, I think she would have had scaly leg mites. When all the other hens would come up to the house to get food she wouldn't so I suspect she has always had some sort of foot problem from when she was given to them. But she always managed to join them in the hen house for the night. I now have her at my house, in a cage inside the house lined with newspaper. I brought her home to give her some more intensive treatment as I noticed she is unable to perch now. I have had her for 2 weeks now, smeared vaseline daily (sometimes twice daily), given her a weekly bath in epsom salts. I managed to get a huge hard black lump off her lame foot after over 30 mins of soaking it. It was yellow inside. I bandaged the wound and changed the dressing every day for 3 days then let the air dry it out. She was able to put pressure on it and got to the point where she could stand on it for a short time but today it has gotten worse I suspect as the yellow stuff grown over where the wound was has gotten bigger. She doesn't want to put any pressure on it. Today I gave her another bath with epsom salts and a drop of Tea tree oil and Oregano. And now I am trialing coconut oil instead of vaseline because it has antibacterial and anti fungal properties. I guess I really want to know what the yellow stuff is and how to stop it growing back. I'm pretty sure after some time it turns black and hard. Sorry for the gross photos, I took the one of her leg after I put coconut oil on it. I haven't been able to take a photo of her worst foot as she keeps it tucked away but her better foot also has the yellow scabs and black stuff as seen in photo.

 

[AmyJane725]

It looks like her feet are infected. The yellow stuff you are seeing is pus. It keeps "growing back" because the infection is still generating more. I'd clean out the area where it's coming from as much as possible (remove all the yellow that you possibly can. Don't be alarmed if there's a pocket in her foot). Do you have any triple antibiotic ointment or Neosporin? I'd slather that all over her feet and wrap them in vetwrap. Change the bandages daily.

Side Note: I'm not normally a fan of beards on chickens, but she's a very cute little old lady.

 

[Toritachi]

Thank you so much for your help Amy Jane! I really appreciate it. The yellow is quite dry not like human pus, is that right? Would it be OK to use Betadine for humans on her?
There's quite a bit on her lame foot, should I do one foot at a time?

Thank you, yes she's a tough old thing.

 

[AmyJane725]

Thank you so much for your help Amy Jane! I really appreciate it. The yellow is quite dry not like human pus, is that right? Would it be OK to use Betadine for humans on her?
There's quite a bit on her lame foot, should I do one foot at a time?

Thank you, yes she's a tough old thing.

That is correct. Chicken pus is more of a scrambled egg when fresh/cheese when old consistency. Not liquid at all.

Using betadine would be fine, yes. After you scoop all the pus out douse the area in betadine and then pack with neosporin and wrap.

I would do both at once and just get it over with. It's stressful for her, so better not to go through it twice.

And if you could get some closeup pictures of both of her feet that would help.

 

[Toritachi]

That is correct. Chicken pus is more of a scrambled egg when fresh/cheese when old consistency. Not liquid at all.

Using betadine would be fine, yes. After you scoop all the pus out douse the area in betadine and then pack with neosporin and wrap.

I would do both at once and just get it over with. It's stressful for her, so better not to go through it twice.

And if you could get some closeup pictures of both of her feet that would help.

That is correct. Chicken pus is more of a scrambled egg when fresh/cheese when old consistency. Not liquid at all.

Using betadine would be fine, yes. After you scoop all the pus out douse the area in betadine and then pack with neosporin and wrap.

I would do both at once and just get it over with. It's stressful for her, so better not to go through it twice.

And if you could get some closeup pictures of both of her feet that would help.

Thank you again! The first time that big lump came off I tried not to dry reach and was put off anything egg, kept having flash backs of the lump whenever I ate. Now with your description, I might have cured my cheese addiction, thank you!! Neosporin isn't available in New Zealand so I am researching other stuff I could put on it.

Thank you for your advice and help- much appreciated!!

 

[AmyJane725]

Thank you again! The first time that big lump came off I tried not to dry reach and was put off anything egg, kept having flash backs of the lump whenever I ate. Now with your description, I might have cured my cheese addiction, thank you!! Neosporin isn't available in New Zealand so I am researching other stuff I could put on it.

Thank you for your advice and help- much appreciated!!

Any antibacterial ointment (like what you'd put on a human cut) is fine as long as it doesn't have any painkiller in it.

 

[Maryb Heisner]

Hello - The chicken has pseudomonas aeruginosa. In milder cases I was told you can rinse with sterile saline solution then soak sterile gauze in 5 % acetic acid -vinegar will work. Wrap and do this everyday for 14 days. My case was bad and this did not work. Was told also that baytril aka enrofloxacin which helped but eventually the infection could not be controlled. It is same infection that humans get in hospital - breathing machines and colostomy bags. Very difficult to treat because penicillin and mycin drugs like clindamycin etc will not work.

 

[Chickened1]

Did you ever fix your chickens foot? Mine has the exact same. I've been pulling those yellow jelly clumps out of his feet since Feb. I've been spraying with vetercyn and giving oral amoxyclav wrapping with vetiwrap everyday. It's just not going away and it's been months. Would love to know if you cured yours? Mine can't walk on that leg due to the foot

 

[Maryb Heisner]

Did you ever fix your chickens foot? Mine has the exact same. I've been pulling those yellow jelly clumps out of his feet since Feb. I've been spraying with vetercyn and giving oral amoxyclav wrapping with vetiwrap everyday. It's just not going away and it's been months. Would love to know if you cured yours? Mine can't walk on that leg due to the foot

Sorry to say - it got slowly worse. The yellow jelly clumps are pus. Their pus is different than ours -like cottage cheese consistency but yellow. I had hope for several months. At times I felt it looked better but looking back I would not have let it go so long. I can absolutely say, I feel there was little I could do. I says online the penicillins will not work -so amoxy based will not work. The mycin drugs will not work. I unwrapped the leg and the bone was so soft it broke in the wrap. It was hanging by a little piece of skin. I wrapped for the last time that night and had her put to sleep the next morning. Even if I made a false leg for her to walk, whatever the bacteria was, was still there. She was not going to ever get better. Sad ending but I hope yours fairs better and can heal. She was special to me.