Limping hen

[Jahuzyak]

Good morning!
I currently have two hens with bumblefoot. One chicken has one affected foot and the other has it on both feet.

I’ve been treating at home since Friday, September 19… so it’s been 7 days yesterday.
All three feet have made major improvements, all swelling is gone, skin is nice and soft and pink again and the scabs are gone.

Squirt( one foot) was limping day before yesterday, so I took her wrap off and rewrapped it so the wrap between her toes was thinner and she stopped limping.

Chickaletta didn’t come off the roost this morning ( she’s been self isolating since I started treating her feet) so I brought her out of the coop and she’s limping I took the wrap off the foot she was limping on and it didn’t stop the limping. She sits on the perch in their run most of the day .
She can walk and run- but limps and when she’s standing, she holds that leg up.

Can I use a wait and see approach? We can’t afford a vet visit right now especially with how much my vet charges for “exotics”
I don’t want to separate and stress her out more but I’m sick over this. I thought I was doing what was best for her and now I feel like I’ve hurt her more somehow

 

[LoveMyPeepers]

Has she been eating?

 

[coach723]

If the bumblefoot has resolved and there is no swelling, redness, etc. then she may just have sprained or strained it. It happens, jumping down and landing wonky, etc. Could have been compensating for the bandage if it was bothering her, or could be completely unrelated. If she's getting around ok, you can just keep an eye on her. If she's having trouble, I would crate her in a wire crate in the coop or run with the others, so they can all still see each other, with her own food and water. That will minimize her activity and get her to rest it. See if it improves. I had one with a sprain/strain caused by a cockerel mounting, she was crated for a week, improved but still limping some, I let her back with the flock since she was complaining vociferously. She gradually got better but it took several weeks for the limp to disappear.

 

[Jahuzyak]

Has she been eating?

Yes, I’ve seen her eating and drinking and any time I take out wet food or tuna or something she comes to eat

 

[Jahuzyak]

If the bumblefoot has resolved and there is no swelling, redness, etc. then she may just have sprained or strained it. It happens, jumping down and landing wonky, etc. Could have been compensating for the bandage if it was bothering her, or could be completely unrelated. If she's getting around ok, you can just keep an eye on her. If she's having trouble, I would crate her in a wire crate in the coop or run with the others, so they can all still see each other, with her own food and water. That will minimize her activity and get her to rest it. See if it improves. I had one with a sprain/strain caused by a cockerel mounting, she was crated for a week, improved but still limping some, I let her back with the flock since she was complaining vociferously. She gradually got better but it took several weeks for the limp to disappear.

I think I may have had her bandages too tight I’ve never had to wrap any wounds - thus was my first time and I think I went too tight , she has a few tiny bruises on her leg. I wrapped them again and did my best to wrap with very little tension. I feel awful

 

[coach723]

Is there still a wound that needs to be kept clean?
If you are using vet wrap or co wrap, just wrap it tight enough to keep everything in place. It's easy to make it too tight, you have to be careful of possible swelling after bandaging that can sometimes cause circulation to be lost. I don't see anything alarming at this point, so hopefully it will be ok. You can soak the foot in warm epsom salts, that will help with pain and any swelling.

 

[Jahuzyak]

Is there still a wound that needs to be kept clean?
If you are using vet wrap or co wrap, just wrap it tight enough to keep everything in place. It's easy to make it too tight, you have to be careful of possible swelling after bandaging that can sometimes cause circulation to be lost. I don't see anything alarming at this point, so hopefully it will be ok. You can soak the foot in warm epsom salts, that will help with pain and any swelling.

There’s still a small spot on the bottom of both feet. How long should I keep them covered? It’s not raised like the scab that was there previously, it’s flat but still there. The spots don’t look like open sores- just what you would expect from a sore that’s healing. The surrounding area on all three foot pads are now without swelling and they’re soft again. Buuuut there’s still a spot on each foot. I’ve never dealt with bumble in the two years I’ve had them so this is all new to me. I re wrapped all three feet after I made this post and I tried my best to keep it just tight enough to stay in place

 

[coach723]

I usually keep them wrapped until they are completely healed. It's a judgement call on your part. I want to protect that new tissue until it's all healed so that it isn't re-injured and we have to start over. Wrapping gets easier with practice. Just check often, make sure it's not too tight, you will get it figured out. If it's too loose, they'll usually manage to get it off. If you think it's too tight, then redoing is a better idea than leaving it. Everything gets easier with practice.