Is this bumble foot?

[Peepchirpquack]

My hen has a round scabby spot on each of her feet. There is no swelling. She doesn't seem to be in any discomfort. One of my other hens have something similar. she has had these scabs for 1-2 months. Is this bumble foot?

 

[KayTee]

That looks exactly like the start of bumblefoot. It's an infection that gets into tiny scratches or broken skin on the foot, and is pretty common. It is best to treat it as soon as you see it, to avoid it getting bigger.

If it is at the early stage then you may be able to treat it without resorting to surgery. Some people soak the chicken's feet in epsom salt solutions, some use sugar and betadine poultices. On cases I have spotted early on I simply used betadine ointment on the bottom of the chicken's foot each night for a few weeks, which worked quite well.

However, for more severe infections, I found the most effective thing was a solution of Tricide Neo - an antibiotic used for skin ulcers on koi carp. It's quite expensive, but I made up small amounts of solution, (1/4 of the packet at a time) rinsed my girl's feet well in fresh water before putting her in to soak, (to avoid getting too much dirt in the Tricide Neo solution) and then poured the solution back into a bottle to store for the next day. (I would warm it up each time by sitting the bottle of solution in a bowl of hot water before using it, so she didn't get a shock putting her feet into freezing cold water!) I kept each solution for a couple of weeks, until it started to get too dirty, and then made up a fresh batch.

The only problem with all of these treatments is that they are not rapid - you need to persevere for a good few weeks to see improvement.

If the infection gets deeper into the foot then cutting it out may be the only option - some people do it themselves, others find a vet who will do it for them. Your girl doesn't look too bad yet, so hopefully by treating her now you should be able to avoid the surgical route.