Is this bumblefoot? Help!

[Cedargrove]

Noticed my chicken with a slight limp this evening before going in to roost. Acting fine otherwise. Just got her off the roost because I couldn’t catch her earlier and these are pics of her feet. She seems to be favoring the right-they both have these rough black spots but the right has what looks like a skin tag barely hanging on at the black spot-see second pic there’s a black spot below the spot on her foot-that’s the hanging piece. Don’t know what to do for her and we leave for a week in two days. Help!!

 

[AidKD]

Yes, that's bumblefoot. Run warm water in a bowl and mix in some epsom salt. Soak her feet for about 20 minutes. After she's done soaking, dry her feet off and see if you can squeeze the black spots out. You can try using a pair of tweezers to get it out. If squeezing it doesn't work, then you'll have to cut it out. Make sure you get all the pus out and the kernel. When you've got it out, fill up the holes in her feet with a disinfectant cream and wrap them up. You'll have to repeat putting the disinfectant on the bottoms of her feet and wrapping them up a couple times a day.

 

[Cedargrove]

Yes, that's bumblefoot. Run warm water in a bowl and mix in some epsom salt. Soak her feet for about 20 minutes. After she's done soaking, dry her feet off and see if you can squeeze the black spots out. You can try using a pair of tweezers to get it out. If squeezing it doesn't work, then you'll have to cut it out. Make sure you get all the pus out and the kernel. When you've got it out, fill up the holes in her feet with a disinfectant cream and wrap them up. You'll have to repeat putting the disinfectant on the bottoms of her feet and wrapping them up a couple times a day.

Any thought what the “skin tag” thing could be?

 

[Lillith37]

Yes you need to soak her feet and remove the scabs. Unfortunately sometimes it can take a while to soak the scabs off and remove what’s underneath. You can cut it out but there will probably be blood and the risk of further infection increases.

The skin tag could be another bit of scab that has partially come off. You could probably remove it if so, it won’t hurt the chicken.

Is there someone coming to look after your chickens whilst you’re away? Bumblefoot isn’t an immediate fix I’m afraid.

 

[Cedargrove]

Yes you need to soak her feet and remove the scabs. Unfortunately sometimes it can take a while to soak the scabs off and remove what’s underneath. You can cut it out but there will probably be blood and the risk of further infection increases.

The skin tag could be another bit of scab that has partially come off. You could probably remove it if so, it won’t hurt the chicken.

Is there someone coming to look after your chickens whilst you’re away? Bumblefoot isn’t an immediate fix I’m afraid.

Well my mother is doing the morning letting out/feeding/watering and locking up at night and a teen boy is coming midday for cleaning. Neither are ideal for this job and I don’t know anyone who is.
What will the daily care be? Should she be in a crate separated or can she stay with the flock in the coop/run?

 

[AidKD]

Well my mother is doing the morning letting out/feeding/watering and locking up at night and a teen boy is coming midday for cleaning. Neither are ideal for this job and I don’t know anyone who is.
What will the daily care be? Should she be in a crate separated or can she stay with the flock in the coop/run?

Daily care would be changing the wrap once or twice and reapplying the disinfectant cream. Also keeping an eye out for infection. I think it would be okay to keep her in with the others. I've done it before and not had any problems. I'm not sure what you could do while you're gone. You could always try posting in your state thread to see if there's another chicken keeper near you who would be willing to help out?

 

[Cedargrove]

Daily care would be changing the wrap once or twice and reapplying the disinfectant cream. Also keeping an eye out for infection. I think it would be okay to keep her in with the others. I've done it before and not had any problems. I'm not sure what you could do while you're gone. You could always try posting in your state thread to see if there's another chicken keeper near you who would be willing to help out?

Would it have to be changed daily if it’s still in place and not wet?

 

[Cedargrove]

Daily care would be changing the wrap once or twice and reapplying the disinfectant cream. Also keeping an eye out for infection. I think it would be okay to keep her in with the others. I've done it before and not had any problems. I'm not sure what you could do while you're gone. You could always try posting in your state thread to see if there's another chicken keeper near you who would be willing to help out?

Would it have to be changed daily if it’s still in place and dry?

 

[Lillith37]

Not necessarily.

You might be better off waiting until you’re back home before commencing treatment. If you cut the bumble out and there’s no one there to perform follow up care, it could make the issue worse.

You could keep her confined for the duration to stop her moving about, but if she’s in pain she won’t move much anyway. She needs to keep eating and drinking.

Worst case scenario is the infection progresses to the point where surgical debridement, stitches and antibiotics are necessary. Bumblefoot infection can get so bad it goes into the bones and can cause lameness and death. If she’s only just starting to limp, you may have enough time to wait until you’re back.

I’ll tag some others who might be able to provide better advice.

@azygous @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

 

[Cedargrove]

[QUOTE="Cedargrove, post: 27157710,

Not necessarily.

You might be better off waiting until you’re back home before commencing treatment. If you cut the bumble out and there’s no one there to perform follow up care, it could make the issue worse.

You could keep her confined for the duration to stop her moving about, but if she’s in pain she won’t move much anyway. She needs to keep eating and drinking.

Worst case scenario is the infection progresses to the point where surgical debridement, stitches and antibiotics are necessary. Bumblefoot infection can get so bad it goes into the bones and can cause lameness and death. If she’s only just starting to limp, you may have enough time to wait until you’re back.

I’ll tag some others who might be able to provide better advice.

@azygous @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

Thank you for the tagging, I really hope I can get this figured out. At this point it will be 10 days until I can be home.