Is this bumblefoot? Help!

[Cedargrove]

Posting again to bump this up-I need advice from someone with bumblefoot experience as this is my first incidence in 15 years of having chickens. Is this an emergency that needs to be dealt with today and throughout my time away or would it be possible to wait until my return? If i should begin today I need a realistic plan of action for my absence (I.e. not a twice daily dressing change -I feel so bad but I don’t have the resources to pull that off)… Thank you!!

 

[AidKD]

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

In that case not changed, just more cream applied. I tend to agree that it would be best to wait until you got home. Not being able to care for it after removing it would be worse than just leaving it for the time being.

 

[Cedargrove]

In that case not changed, just more cream applied. I tend to agree that it would be best to wait until you got home. Not being able to care for it after removing it would be worse than just leaving it for the time being.

I have a dear friend willing to help but I don’t want to put this on someone else for 9 days. If I were to have her to do it I don’t want her to have to be doing something daily if at all possible so I’m trying to determine what is best for my chicken and also what amount of responsibility feels feasible to place on someone else. Thanks so much for helping me figure this out!!!

 

[AidKD]

I have a dear friend willing to help but I don’t want to put this on someone else for 9 days. If I were to have her to do it I don’t want her to have to be doing something daily if at all possible so I’m trying to determine what is best for my chicken and also what amount of responsibility feels feasible to place on someone else. Thanks so much for helping me figure this out!!!

If that's the case, then I'm sure every other day would be just fine.

 

[AidKD]

As long as you don't have to cut it out it should be pretty clean.

 

[Cedargrove]

If that's the case, then I'm sure every other day would be just fine.

I have an anxious personality and I just worry I’m going to make a bigger problem and then leave the state.
Of course I’m going to worry either way the whole trip whether I begin this process now or wait

 

[DLA]

As long as you're not cutting into the foot and all that someone else could pretty easily do it. The sooner the treatment gets started the better in my opinion. First time is harder but it is fairly simple after that. Soak in epsom salts for 20+ minutes which is usually easy, just sit next to the pan and keep a hand or two on the chicken so she stays calm and doesn't drink the water. you only need a couple of inches of water, just enough to cover the feet fully. put a towel over her and flip her over so feet sticking up and hold her like a football cradled in the crook of your arm, keep the head elevated. from soaking the bumble should be loose, wear gloves! and clean that off, can use tweezers to pull some off. I use the same hand that i'm holding with to hook her middle toe to keep the foot still while cleaning with the other hand. spray with vetericyn or similar spray, apply antibiotic salve or drawing salve on a small cotton pad and wrap and repeat every day if bandage is wet or dirty or every other day if bandage is staying clean. it requires more patience and time than skill. If you have someone who is willing to do it while you're gone it shouldn't be a problem. two people, one to hold the chicken and one to do the cleaning and wrapping works better than my above one person method. she doesn't need to be segregated from the rest of the flock. the wrap needs to be snug but not tight. vet wrap is pretty clingy so it stays on pretty well if you squeeze it all together when done wrapping. just don't use red or orange vet wrap, they pick at that because of the color.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...o the foot! No bunching or scrunching allowed.

 

[Cedargrove]

so this morning that little skin tag piece has fallen off. She’s no longer limping. She is eating drinking free ranged for an hour and is back in the yard acting totally normal. I have not started the treatment process yet.

 

[Lillith37]

It did look like that skin tag bit was a piece of the scab.

Like I said, if you left it, the worst case is she needs to go to a vet. Do you have access to one? If so, then I reckon you could leave her be and deal with it when you get back. She probably won’t need the vet anyway, it’s just for your own peace of mind.

Otherwise your friend could soak and wrap every other day and start the process for you.

I recently came across this thread where the person discovered a trick to expedite the scab removal in a non-surgical way. So you could try this once you’re home.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bumble-foot-soaking-trick.1597479/#post-27157234

 

[AidKD]

It did look like that skin tag bit was a piece of the scab.

Like I said, if you left it, the worst case is she needs to go to a vet. Do you have access to one? If so, then I reckon you could leave her be and deal with it when you get back. She probably won’t need the vet anyway, it’s just for your own peace of mind.

Otherwise your friend could soak and wrap every other day and start the process for you.

I recently came across this thread where the person discovered a trick to expedite the scab removal in a non-surgical way. So you could try this once you’re home.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bumble-foot-soaking-trick.1597479/#post-27157234

I agree. I think your she'll be okay until you come home. The scabs don't look very big, so it's not likely to flare up really bad while you're gone.