Limping chicken with hot foot but no swelling/lump

[gearchickchick]

I have a four month old barred rock pullet who started limping about three weeks ago. Yesterday I noticed that one of her feet is hot to the touch. There is no lump, swelling, or discoloration. I can see no evidence of a wound other than her "thumb" pad on the affected foot is a little tougher than the other. She has no other symptoms - she is eating well, very lively, flies/hops up to and down from the roost. She lets me palpate the foot with no objection and it doesn't seem like anything is broken. As of last night I have her quarantined in a small pen to prevent further injury and because I read that bumblefoot can be contagious. I thought about treating for bumblefoot as described elsewhere in this forum, but there's nothing to do surgery on. Should I administer antibiotic? If so, what, how, and how much? Will a topical antibiotic ointment do any good? Does anyone have any other advice to share? Thank you for any insights!!

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. I can see no reason to isolate her. Even if she had bumblefoot, that is not a reason to isolate her. It gets complicated when you have to reintegrate a chicken that has been separated from her flock. She may have injured her toe or maybe she hasn't formed a scab yet. Antibiotics aren't usually necessary for bumblefoot, so I would wait and see.

 

[LucyMatilda15]

Hey there,

It does sound like bumblefoot, but you can't be sure unless you start seeing a scab or discolouration of the foot pad. She could have just simply landed badly and sprained a muscle in her foot after jumping from a place a bit too high for her. I know a couple of my previous chooks used to injure themselves by doing this.

If it is still causing grief, maybe give her foot a nice warm soapy bath to soothe any swelling and pain.

 

[gearchickchick]

Thank you for your replies! Relived to know it's not something I need to panic over. No improvement in her limp but the foot is no longer hot.