is this Bumblefoot ?

[martin.d]

Lilly our 3 year old Belgium bantam (which we have owned for 6 months) has always had a toe missing and because of this she has always walked with a slight limp. Recently the limp appears to be exaccerbated and affecting her right leg (left in the upside down picture). She appears chirpy, is still laying as normal (every other day), and is getting around our plot ok. Both feet have the black patches you can see here, it seems to be pigmentation not a scab and i'm unsure if its always been there. The pad of the right foot does have a swelling / padding on its bottom and does feel ever so slightly warmer than that of the left foot. The skin is intact, no bleed or pus, no pain on provocation. If it is bumblefoot, i've seen the threads on surgery and antibiotics on here and am wary of diy surgery and was wondering if antibiotics will affect our eggs in any way. Any opinions advice appreciated, cheers, Martin.

 

[Kagu]

im not expert....and i dont know i thats bumble foot....but she NEEDS her toe nails trimmed...that would help a lot...

 

[dawg53]

I agree that the long toenails could use a trim and if long enough could adversely affect her ability to walk/run, maybe causing her to limp. I dont see any bumblefoot. However I agree with you that there appears to be a little redness in the footpad in the right pic. I wouldnt perform minor surgery yet, the swelling nor scab isnt there. To answer your questions about antibiotics affecting eggs, in other words a withdrawal period. The answer is yes and no. It depends on what antibiotic you use. There are antibiotics that have a withdrawal period and some that dont.
What antibiotic do you plan to use?

 

[martin.d]

Quote:
None yet as i'm not certain on a diagnosis, i'll trim her nails first

 

[cocosandy]

scrub those feet, trim the nails and take another pic!...its hard to tell if its bumblefoot in that pic.
You are looking for a black sort of callus. It can be small in the beginning and might be good to treat really early, but its hard to tell.
If those little black marks on the pad are like a plug when you scratch them off, then you may want to inject the tiny holes that they leave with tylan 50. I would inject right into the pad of the foot.
Usually, you would eventually see a real swelling and warmth and redness. But if you catch it early like this, its easier to treat.
The thing about bumblefoot is that you usually have to treat it directly by cutting it out, cleaning it out (usually more than once) and putting antibiotics into the foot.
The spot where the toe is missing is not a problem unless you see changes there.
Ive had chickens that lost digits and got a bumble in the wound that kept coming back....you just have to watch them.
But the best way to tell is to look at all the pics out there....the bumble can be tiny, but most pictured are larger. They seem like a piece of dirt or a black or dark callus but when you take them off they have a white bottom that sometimes is like a stalactite growing inward.
Start with a very clean foot...wrap the chicken in a towel and lay them on their side, and photograph with good light, and up close with macro if you have it.
Good luck!

 

[BuffOrpington88]

I agree, it could be caused by her toenails.

 

[martin.d]

ok, we've trimmed her toenails, not by too much & have had some bleeding from the nail, we've covered it in tape to prevent dirt ingress, she's now limping a bit weirder!!! We'll see what happens over the next few days.

 

[terryg]

I don't see bumblefoot. I see a normal, lumpy foot. As chickens age their feet do, too. Their legs start looking like they have baggy stockings on. I've written more about it here - I have old chickens and you can really see how the feet change.
http://www.hencam.com/henblog/2011/10/old-hen-young-hen/
That said, when toenails get too long it's usually a symptom of an underlying problem. A chicken should be able to keep their nails down by scratching. Sometimes there's not enough coarse material in the run to wear their nails down. More likely, the hen is less vigorous and not able to scratch. That might be due to age, or to illness.
There is a vein that runs down the nail. As the nail lengthens, so does that blood line. So, take care when trimming nails. I use my dog nail clippers. Have septic powder on hand to stem any bleeding. Err on the side of trimming too little. Do it in small increments.
(as I write this I see you've trimmed the nails, good job!)
I've had hens limp for many reasons - age, arthritis, jumping off the roost and landing funny, cancer - so, the limp might not be caused by a foot problem. If she's doing everything else normally, I wouldn't worry too much!

 

[TwoCrows]

That is not bumblefoot. I am dealing with a case of it right now. With bumblefoot, you will see a black scab on the bottom of a VERY swollen pad. The pad will be red also, maybe even between the toes.. Any bird with long claws will walk funny and now that you have trimmed her claws, she may need to readjust her walking. Keep an eye on the length of her toe nails.

 

[lovethemducks]

Hi

Im new to owning my aylesbury ducks lawrence and lilly , lilly im sure has a really bad case of bumblefoot the scab on the bottom of her foot is as big as a 1 pence(uk) ive tried soaking it to be able to pick or scrub it off but it bleeds been soaking it in the bath daily and it doesnt seem to be coming off im frightened to cut it as i said it bleeds she is limping quite badly on it and am thinking the next step is the vets ive only had them a few weeks and noticed she was limping but was told it was because lawrence her drake was a bit too amorous with her until i picked her up and looked at the bottom of her foot and noticed this big scaley scab on her foot it looks painful and the leg is hot right to the top not sure wether to cut it im frightened she will bleed and i wont be able to stop it any suggestions ????? I know they were kept on wood chippingsby the previous owner which makes me think she had a splinter in the foot that no one noticed they are both now on grass . Thank you .