my old chicken has a swolen toe.

[Shezadandy]

Treatment wise: soaking her foot in Epsom salts could bring her some relief- regardless of the cause - bumblefoot or being stepped on.

Aspirin may help ease her pain. I like to use the children's chewable kind ground up on a favorite moist treat - watermelon or something like that- they just chow it down. Adding regular aspirin to water … doesn't taste great, and they have to get it down the hatch for it to work!

25mg per pound of her weight per day. Chewables are usually in the 81mg dose, so one of those would treat 3lbs of chicken … 2 would treat around 6lbs of chicken and so on.

 

[Shezadandy]

I'm headed to sleep - if you find something that screams bumblefoot - say after you've soaked that foot and any residual dirt comes off and you find it- then treat accordingly. I probably wouldn't wrap it if it is an injury unless there's obvious open flesh that needs to be cleaned and treated with antibiotic ointment, or unless there's an obvious break.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Is it possible there's something wrapped around that toe? It could just be the nature of the swelling but there's kind of an indentation, where I've marked her toe with orange. From the top side, the two areas in green are the most suspicious looking in terms of damaged scales, but the entire area outlined in blue looks swollen.

Can we get another picture of the bottom side - the first one is unfortunately too blurry, and we need the underside of the damaged area- I know it's a hard spot to get holding onto the hen with one hand and taking a picture with the other.

If we could get a better look at the bottom of the foot, most especially the swollen area that would help to see if it could be bumblefoot or not - but I'm leaning more towards injury. If those are injured/damaged scales, she may have gotten her foot caught in something and struggled to get it out- or if the limping is new since the accidental foot stepping- that's a very likely candidate.

Do have a good look and make sure there's nothing caught around that toe constricting it (the orange marked area).

That is a spur bud- and actually some hens do grow actual spurs! So that's totally normal, even if just on one leg and not the other.

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That nail looks impacted to me and I would probably trim/remove it personally. I do want to clarify(late edit) I would trim as little as required to remove it from the internal part of her foot. To my eye that is the foreign object causing infection. I would expect some bleeding but nothing a stiptic powder couldn't fix. I believe some folks even use corn starch to stop bleeding, however, I do not have experience with that in poultry. I haven't performed any chicken surgery other than hair cuts and controlling bleeding only involves pulling the bleeding feather.

For me it would be needle nose pliers and a good pair of nail clippers for equipment, a towel to wrap the victim of my surgery in, also an assistant to hold the bird still.

 

[chicken_lover_20]

Ok i should have the picures here tomororw as for here were i live is night because i live in australia so it would be diffecault to get a good picure.But thank you so mmuch so far i hope to keep in contact.

 

[chicken_lover_20]

The both of you have been a great help! i should be back on at around 4.45 if not 5.45.

 

[chicken_lover_20]

i agree i just notised in the picure shezadandy edited there seems to be a slight chip in here nail that i have never notised. which realy makes me feel aukward and dumb.

 

[chicken_lover_20]

wait they can hve asprin i thourt that they would get bloated or sick?

 

[chicken_lover_20]

That nail looks impacted to me and I would probably trim/remove it personally. I do want to clarify(late edit) I would trim as little as required to remove it from the internal part of her foot. To my eye that is the foreign object causing infection. I would expect some bleeding but nothing a stiptic powder couldn't fix. I believe some folks even use corn starch to stop bleeding, however, I do not have experience with that in poultry. I haven't performed any chicken surgery other than hair cuts and controlling bleeding only involves pulling the bleeding feather.

For me it would be needle nose pliers and a good pair of nail clippers for equipment, a towel to wrap the victim of my surgery in, also an assistant to hold the bird still.

whith it should i have some one else there if so how many.

 

[AllenK RGV]

whith it should i have some one else there if so how many.

I only need my spouse as an assistant. The tight towel wrap does most of the work but for sure someone who can stomach the work. We are both former nurses so can stomach the pain we have to inflict to cure the patient. I really hated packing bullet/shrapnel wounds as it was not easy on patients but morphine helped take the edge off. Probably not recommended for chicken though.

 

[chicken_lover_20]

I only need my spouse as an assistant. The tight towel wrap does most of the work but for sure someone who can stomach the work. We are both former nurses so can stomach the pain we have to inflict to cure the patient. I really hated packing bullet/shrapnel wounds as it was not easy on patients but morphine helped take the edge off. Probably not recommended for chicken though.

yeah