Ideal Poultry sends chicks with bumble foot

[KarateHorse]

Vetericyn wouldn't do anything for bumblefoot. So if that's helping your chicks that would again point to it not being bumblefoot. I think you're dealing with something else here. I would try switching to towels as Miss Lydia suggested and see if that helps.

Also if it was bumblefoot, all of them would have had to somehow cut their feet to get the bacteria in since it's not a communicable infection so it did not pass from the ducklings to the chicks. So if that were the case and then the chicks were getting it after you got them, they'd have to be doing it in the brooder you were keeping them in, and it would indicate that you also have a lot of staph bacteria in that area, which just doesn't seem like it would be the case. Perhaps you got a bad batch of bedding or something and it's irritating their feet. I'd try switching the bedding, doing the Epsom soaks, and applying neosporin as Miss Lydia suggested and see what happens.

This is what they look like right now

 

[Pyxis]

Can you wash their feet and then post a picture of what it looks like? I can only see poop on its feet in that picture. Also it looks like its belly is really wet - is that from a swim or is the brooder constantly wet and causing that?

 

[donrae]

I'm with Pyxis here, that's not bumblefoot. Just looks like feet to me. Bumblefoot is an infection, a day old chick really can't have it. And it's not contagious.

Are you brooding chicks and ducklings together? That's just a recipe for a mess. chicks don't handle the wet well at all, and ducklings are so messy with their water.

 

[KarateHorse]

I'm with Pyxis here, that's not bumblefoot. Just looks like feet to me. Bumblefoot is an infection, a day old chick really can't have it. And it's not contagious. 

Are you brooding chicks and ducklings together? That's just a recipe for a mess. chicks don't handle the wet well at all, and ducklings are so messy with their water. 

We had them together for the first day or two then we seperated them

 

[KarateHorse]

Can you wash their feet and then post a picture of what it looks like? I can only see poop on its feet in that picture. Also it looks like its belly is really wet - is that from a swim or is the brooder constantly wet and causing that?

Their bellies are wet from the brooder being wet. I change the brooder bedding 4 or 5 times a day. They still make the brooder a mess. They don't have anywhere to swim yet right now. So they can't clean themselves. Tomorrow I'm going to get some warm water and clean them up then see what their feet look like.

 

[Pyxis]

Their bellies are wet from the brooder being wet. I change the brooder bedding 4 or 5 times a day. They still make the brooder a mess. They don't have anywhere to swim yet right now. So they can't clean themselves. Tomorrow I'm going to get some warm water and clean them up then see what their feet look like.

Try a different type of waterer that they can't splash around in much, something like this or this, or put something under the waterer to catch the spillage, like this. Combining one of those waterers with a catch will be most effective.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Doesn't look like bumblefoot, but does look like the foot pad is splitting... standing in wet bedding can cause that quite easily... and then turn into bumblefoot... best to use spill catchers or jugs set up for ducklings for their water or it will be a constant battle of soaked bedding...

Also, how many ducklings in how big of a brooder? To stay drier a much bigger brooder than recommended is best for ducklings...

 

[KarateHorse]

Doesn't look like bumblefoot, but does look like the foot pad is splitting... standing in wet bedding can cause that quite easily... and then turn into bumblefoot... best to use spill catchers or jugs set up for ducklings for their water or it will be a constant battle of soaked bedding...

Also, how many ducklings in how big of a brooder? To stay drier a much bigger brooder than recommended is best for ducklings...

Here is them in their brooder. There are six ducks.

 

[Pyxis]

That is way too small for six ducklings, and after seeing that I'm sure any foot problems they are having is because they are being kept constantly on wet bedding. So, foot problems would be the direct result of improper care, and nothing Ideal did. They did not send you sick ducklings or chicks. If you have been posting around the forums that they sent you sick birds, I would go retract those statements because it's not true. Not trying to sound harsh, just trying to explain clearly what is going on so you can fix it.

This also explains why the chicks have healed and the ducklings haven't because, just as I suspected, the chicks have been moved to a dry brooder while the ducks have still been on wet bedding.

You need to move them to a larger brooder ASAP or split them into multiple brooders and implement the waterer changes I posted to keep them dry.

 

[Ravynscroft]

X2 what Pyxis said... they need a lot more space, especially a space separated for the waterer... and chicken waterers are not duckling friendly... or maybe they're TOO froendly... they're just splashing all that water right out as soon as you clean up the bedding... and if you're refilling that waterer even once during the day, you can bet they aren't drinking that much, lol... and in one week they will be huge, they grow exponentially faster than chicks do...