Is it always bumblefoot?

[Sjisty]

I periodically check my chickens' feet. Sometimes I see a black scab. My question is, is it always bumblefoot, or could it just be a callous? Whenever I remove one, sometimes there's a "bumble" and sometimes not. I'm wondering if I'm causing unnecessary stress for my girls by removing what might just be a natural callous.

 

[dawg53]

I've had the same thing happen. I go digging and find nothing but blood and stressing the poor chicken. I wont do minor surgery anymore unless they are limping, the footpad is reddish and/or swollen. I've noticed that the scabs disappear on their own sometimes.

 

[edselpdx]

I thought I was going to have to do surgery on one last summer, but had my own surgery the next day. When I recovered, I checked her foot and the black scab was gone, and she's been fine....

 

[Anianna]

There is a non-surgical way to treat bumblefoot. You can soak the affected foot in Tricide-Neo powder, labeled for fish, 5 minutes a day for about a week or so to treat the sores. Use nitrile or latex gloves so you don't get any on yourself. See this thread for more info.