How I "cured" chronic bumblefoot (fingers crossed) !

[kittyacid]

I have two Welsummer hens that had bumblefoot off and on for about a year and a half. It was a constant battle, it would clear up for a month or so and bam, one would start limping and sure enough, the bumblefoot was back. Sometimes it would strike both feet at once. I tried epsom salt soaks, drawing salves, rounds of antibiotics, numerous surgeries performed,by a vet which was expensive, not to mention very hard on the girls.

On the advice of the vet, I needed to cover the roosts - sanded 2 x 4 boards - with something to change the pressure on their feet. I used the nonslip bath mats that go inside the tub that "massage" your feet with different size bumps. I cut them into strips and stapled them to the roost bars. The only other change was I switched from Layena to Organic Blue Seal layer pellets and I have not had a single incident of bumblefoot in 15 months!! Of all the advice I read about bumblefoot prevention, I never saw anything about changing the surface of the roost but it has worked like a charm for me and my girls. My vet in in Raleigh, NC and if anyone wants his name, please PM me.

 

[JanetMarie]

Good to know. Thank you for sharing. I have raised chickens for going on 8 years without any bumblefoot incidents, but recently I noticed that a hen needs the surgery. She isn't limping so she hasn't had it very long. I have read how to and have talked to a veterinarian, it's just preparing my mind and getting it done.

 

[kittyacid]

Good luck! The first time mine had it, I purchased all the tools, bandages, ointments, etc. but when the time came I was shaking like a leaf, scared to death I would hurt her. I decided to cancel the cable tv and took her to the vet. Never regretted it for a minute!!

 

[KayTee]

That's good advice from your vet Kittyacid.

I had two cases of bumblefoot when I first got my girls a few years ago. I don't know where I read it, but as I was researching cures I did find something somewhere about rounding off hard perch edges if you use planks rather than round dowel for roosts. However, since my girls are spoilt rotten princesses, I decided to do something more comfortable - I took an old bath towel, folded it in half lengthways, and draped it over the plank that my girls roost on. My husband thought I'd gone completely mad, starting to add soft furnishings to the chicken coop, and promptly renamed it the chicken palace (I've even got a sign up now with the name on!)

Since I started using the towel, I haven't had any more cases of bumblefoot (touch wood). I have two or three old towels, and change them when they get too dirty. Every so often I chuck them in the washing machine (having rinsed off any sticky poop in a bucket of hot soapy water).

 

[kittyacid]

It has now been 21 months with no bumble foot!!

This was really a constant problem with my girls before and it was the best advice ever from my avian vet. There is just nothing to lose by trying it!!!