Is this bumble foot on a 4 wk chick?

[2ndTink]

I noticed earlier today that one of the little BA chicks had something stuck to her foot, I caught her and tried to take a look as she was flailing her feet, and noticed that things didn't look right. She had little bumps under her feet and these thin fingery things sticking out of her soles. I checked the others and she is the only one like this.

I wasn't sure what to do so I soaked her feet in warm water, cleaned them up, I got three little poop type bits picked off from 3 of the worst spots, exposing more of this fingery flesh. I put antibiotic ointment on it for tonight and jumped on here to see if anyone can identify this. I tried to get some photos, sorry they aren't the best. She isn't very tame and is very squirmy.

She has been out on the screen porch, concrete floor, and in the brooder box with shavings. I have 3 BA's from the same hatch and their feet are fine, as are the other 11 chicks who are 7 weeks old. They've all been raised in the exact same conditions together.

I feel so bad for her and want to get her fixed up.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Greetings 2ndTink,

Your bird's feet appear to be suffering from bumblefoot and hyperkeratosis. Below is an excerpt from an article that discusses foot problems. The bumblefoot and hyperkeratosis may be a genetic issue. I've had birds with a predisposition to foot problems. These birds will require a lot of foot care for the first year or two. But, healing is possible with proper care and treatment.

Hyperplasia of foot-pad epidermis.

lesions on the foot-pads are similar irrespective of the cause and consist of horny proliferation of the epidermis

This type of lesion has been associated with biotin deficiency (Patricke?al, 1942; Harms and Simpson, 1975; Harms et al, 1977; Frigg and Torhorst, 1980) and wet litter (Harms and Simpson, 1975; Martland, 1984, 1985) in chickens and turkeys. Similar lesions are also associated with rough, or excessively smooth, perches and concrete flooring (personal observations) and dietary factors other than biotin, in particular methionine deficiency

Here is the link to the article.
The pathology of the avian integument

I agree with Wyorp Rock, besides the cleanings and antibiotic ointment, you need to wrap the feet. The feet will not heal if they are continually exposed to the harsh flooring. And the ointment and cleanings go to waste without the protection of a proper foot wrap. The litter contains bacteria that contaminate the open sores on the feet. Litter also absorbs and removes any antibiotic ointment that you apply. Wood shavings/litter is a double edged sword. It provides a soft flooring for the birds to walk, and rest on. But, it also becomes a medium for bacteria from all the poop. I'm not saying you shouldn't use wood shavings, I use wood shavings too. But, this particular bird cannot walk on the litter bare footed, until her feet are healed.

The treatment
The typical treatment for bumblefoot should be followed. Foot washings and/or soaks, topical antibiotic, and foot wrapping. Once healing is complete, you can't stop there. I recommend that you also treat the bird's feet with "Tuf-Foot". The Tuf-Foot product will toughen the foot pad.

Other Treatment Options:
If the typical bumblefoot treatment doesn't work, you may want to try other topical treatments. Colloidal Silver, can be applied to lesions and sores. I've had good results using colloidal silver on bumblefoot. Colloidal silver can be used to treat many types of injuries and illnesses.

I like to use Povidone Iodine on stubborn bumblefoot. Infections that are deep into the skin may need a cleaning with Povidone Iodine. Be sure to use Povidone Iodine and not regular iodine. If you use Povidone Iodine you should not use it to clean the lesion/sore more two time, initially. You should think of Povidone Iodine as a scalpel. It will go deep below the skin to kill infection. But, if over used, it can inhibit the renewal of skin cells.

Herbal treatment:
I mentioned you have used an herbal preparation on your horses. I too, use herbal treatments on my flock. However, when using herbal treatments on chickens, you must be sure that the herb is not toxic to birds. The issue with herbal preparations, such as Silver Linings, is that they are highly concentrated for use on horses, and are a combination of many different herbs.

I am also very cautious about using herbal preparations on chicks. It is best to use a single herb at a time for chicks. And in very small doses. You must be vigilant for adverse reactions, such as diarrhea, when using an herb the first time. I only administer herbal remedies orally, to treat internal illness, such as digestive illness, pain, or for organ support etc.

A topical application of herbal remedy is more appropriate for bumblefoot. I have used Comfrey poultice for foot and leg problems with good results. But here again, caution must be used with this herb. Comfrey should not be used on open sores, abrasions, injuries, etc.

These are my thoughts on your chick's foot problem. I hope I have been helpful.

God's blessings to your flock for good health.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Could be irritation from poop being stuck to the toe and it staying damp. Pododermatitis.
Try to keep the brooder and area dry. I would continue to care for the foot like you are doing.

 

[2ndTink]

@Hen Pen Jem I have read and re-read your post at least 10 times! So much information! Hallelujah it has a name, I've been searching for it for days. I've used Bag Balm the last two nights, antibiotic ointment in the mornings, and vetericyn at noon, and this morning her feet felt softer.

I won't attempt the herbs, but I'll try adding some poultry vitamins for her. I've ordered colloidal silver since I'm out, and I'll get the TufFoot next week in hopes she's healed enough for it by then. I can raid my emergency kits for some sterile gauze, and I'll look up how to wrap her feet this evening after work.

If things worsen I'll use the Providone Iodine and see what that does, for now based on what you are saying I am going to do the soaks, alternate ointment and colloidal silver, and do the wraps.

Thank you for the help and the blessing I really appreciate it!

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Also, it's not necessary to soak in epsom salts continuously. Simply washing the feet under the tap with some mild dish soap, then, drying thoroughly is enough.

Here is my diagram on how I wrap my chicken's feet. You'll have to cut the self stick gauze/vet wrap, down to 1 inch wide or less, since these are chick size feet.

It should look like this, after adding extra strips of self wrap. This will provide the best coverage and yet allow the chicken to have better mobility.

If you don't have any self stick wrap/vet wrap, that's fine. You can use regular rolled gauze to cover the foot. Do your best, as this takes practice. You should check the foot every 2-3 days at first. If it looks good you can change the dressing every 4-5 days. Before you know it, you'll be a foot wrapping pro!


I hope this is helpful.

God Bless

 

[2ndTink]

it just dawned on me, you helped me with my little RIR a few weeks back when she had an abscess on her shoulder! She's doing great, never even slowed down her growth, and no odd feathering. You can't tell anything ever happened.

I'm hoping I can get some better pictures of the little ones feet tomorrow or Saturday. Do I need to make sure the wrap goes all the way back over her back toe where the spikes are the worst? Other than that one bad spot on her back toe that is off colored in the picture she doesn't have any redness or heat. She was scampering around with the others today, I couldn't see any difference in her activity level compared to the others, plus she's no longer crying all the time!

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Bless her little heart! She is probably feeling better now that you are treating her. Yes, cover all the areas of infection/growths. These growths are a response to infection, inflammation etc.

You should also give her a boost by administering some Poultry Cell, as Wyorp Rock
suggested.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Bless her little heart! She is probably feeling better now that you are treating her. Yes, cover all the areas of infection/growths. These growths are a response to infection, inflammation etc.

You should also give her a boost by administering some Poultry Cell, as Wyorp Rock
suggested.

One more important note:
Be sure not to wrap the foot too tightly. You don't want to restrict blood flow. Try not to overstretch the vet wrap if you use that. Rolled gauze may be a better option for a chick.

 

[2ndTink]

Great idea about placing her on the glass table - photos are good!

Personally I would use vet wrap/coban to wrap the feet instead of gauze just because the birds seem to pick at that more. Possibly getting strings wrapped around toes or even eating them. I've had a bird also work loose coban and swallow a small piece of that too - so

I like @Hen Pen Jem diagram. For small feet, cutting the wrap into thin strips helps, then work on wrapping. Vet wrap seems to stay in place better on active birds too. I've left my birds wrapped for a few days and it stayed on fine.

Cute Chick!

Thanks! I'll try the vet wrap today, my gauze job ended up pretty bulky on her little feet.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Wrapping the feet of an adult chicken is tricky enough. I can imagine how difficult it must be to wrap the very small feet of a chick. Not to mention, the bird's uncooperativeness!

If you are treating the bird by yourself, you will have to wrap her in a kitchen towel. A kitchen/dish towel should be just the right size to wrap a chick her size. That way she won't be able to flap her wings or move about too much. Also, you can coil a large towel into a doughnut shape, place it on a table, then lay her on her side, in the middle. This will cradle her while you work on her. I did this with my little rooster, only I used a little doggie bed.

Even with restraining them in a towel, you always have to be prepared for them to attempt escape. You need to take great care when its time to remove the bandage. I use safety scissors as well as hair cutting scissors. It would be good to have a helper at this time.

Chickens are pros at disassembling bandages, hen saddles, and anything that they are curious about or don't like having on. I agree with Wyorp Rock, vet wrap is a wonderful product for bandaging chickens. It provides superior protection, and is almost impossible for a chicken to remove. However, it can restrict blood flow if applied too tightly. If you have never used self stick gauze/vet wrap, you should try wrapping a piece around your finger.

The feet look much better than the earlier photos. Yes, some of that dark coloring on the pad is just pigment. She has dark legs, that pigment will carry onto the feet.

You are doing a great job of caring for your chicklets!