- Sep 26, 2010
- 104
- 4
- 101
There is something wrong with Henny Penny's foot. It's different from the usual things I've encountered and I'm wondering if you could help me figure out what's wrong and how to treat it.
Hen history:
Henny Penny (I know not the most creative name, but she seems to like it) is almost 3 years old, banti cross, probably somewhat to very inbred. She was a fall chick and was abandoned by her mum at time of hatching at which time the neighbours gave the clutch to me (because I'm the kind of person who often comes home to find someone has left a chicken in a box on my door step with a note saying 'hello, my name is...please take care of me').
From the start she had trouble digesting regular dry food, so I usually mix a bit of hen food with water to make her a porridge each day. If I forget, she take the food over to the water and soaks it in there until it's soft.
When she was about a year old, she hatched out a clutch of chicks, but the raccoon got most of them. Henny Penny was badly injured but not so bad as the raccoon. We caught the raccoon the next night and I don't think it would have survived the encounter with the hen, even if we hadn't given it swimming lessons. That's how strong and determined this little hen is. The hen suffered a puncture through the head and generally got banged up a bunch, but recovered fairly well. She still walks with a limp and occasionally crows if there is a strong change of weather or imminent earthquake.
She's part of the 'wild' flock. It's basically a small mixed bunch of chickens that won't fit in with the larger flocks, due to injury (loss of an eye) or personality (too kind to defend self). The chickens get on really well, with non of the usual infighting. They seem to understand that they are all damaged in some way and look out for each other. They basically have free run of the yard.
Despite weekly massage of bag balm and/or other creams, she's had a minor scaly mite problem since we got her. In the last few months she's started to develop something strange on her 'thumb' and acting a bit poorly. Not poorly enough to be concerned but enough that sometimes I catch her all hunched up when she thinks no one is looking.
It's nothing I recognize. It's a small black band around the toe with a larger patch at the bottom. Kind of like if you put a tire around a sapling, and then it grows into a big tree with this tight band around the trunk. It hurts her to touch it or walk on it. I'm wondering if maybe she's injured it and it's a low lvl infection? I don't think it looks much like bumble foot, but I've never had a problem with that before.
This is the one chicken that I'm most fond of and am pretty much willing to move heaven and earth for. I asked around the neighbours and the feedshop for recommendations on a vet, but they say there is no one in town that is good with chickens.
Treatment so far:
- weekly massage with bag balm or other guck that is suppose to reduce scaly mights
- kimchi and/or sauerkraut juice added to food (for immune boost) - not on the lay right now so don't have to worry about it flavouring the eggs.
- today I gave her a warm foot bath with Epsom salts. She LOVED it and wouldn't come out for over 20 min, until the water was cold. Then I put an antibiotic cream on the foot. She is now separated into the 'hospital' which is a large dog crate next to the front door.
So, any ideas what it might be and how to treat it?
Hen history:
Henny Penny (I know not the most creative name, but she seems to like it) is almost 3 years old, banti cross, probably somewhat to very inbred. She was a fall chick and was abandoned by her mum at time of hatching at which time the neighbours gave the clutch to me (because I'm the kind of person who often comes home to find someone has left a chicken in a box on my door step with a note saying 'hello, my name is...please take care of me').
From the start she had trouble digesting regular dry food, so I usually mix a bit of hen food with water to make her a porridge each day. If I forget, she take the food over to the water and soaks it in there until it's soft.
When she was about a year old, she hatched out a clutch of chicks, but the raccoon got most of them. Henny Penny was badly injured but not so bad as the raccoon. We caught the raccoon the next night and I don't think it would have survived the encounter with the hen, even if we hadn't given it swimming lessons. That's how strong and determined this little hen is. The hen suffered a puncture through the head and generally got banged up a bunch, but recovered fairly well. She still walks with a limp and occasionally crows if there is a strong change of weather or imminent earthquake.
She's part of the 'wild' flock. It's basically a small mixed bunch of chickens that won't fit in with the larger flocks, due to injury (loss of an eye) or personality (too kind to defend self). The chickens get on really well, with non of the usual infighting. They seem to understand that they are all damaged in some way and look out for each other. They basically have free run of the yard.
Despite weekly massage of bag balm and/or other creams, she's had a minor scaly mite problem since we got her. In the last few months she's started to develop something strange on her 'thumb' and acting a bit poorly. Not poorly enough to be concerned but enough that sometimes I catch her all hunched up when she thinks no one is looking.
It's nothing I recognize. It's a small black band around the toe with a larger patch at the bottom. Kind of like if you put a tire around a sapling, and then it grows into a big tree with this tight band around the trunk. It hurts her to touch it or walk on it. I'm wondering if maybe she's injured it and it's a low lvl infection? I don't think it looks much like bumble foot, but I've never had a problem with that before.
This is the one chicken that I'm most fond of and am pretty much willing to move heaven and earth for. I asked around the neighbours and the feedshop for recommendations on a vet, but they say there is no one in town that is good with chickens.
Treatment so far:
- weekly massage with bag balm or other guck that is suppose to reduce scaly mights
- kimchi and/or sauerkraut juice added to food (for immune boost) - not on the lay right now so don't have to worry about it flavouring the eggs.
- today I gave her a warm foot bath with Epsom salts. She LOVED it and wouldn't come out for over 20 min, until the water was cold. Then I put an antibiotic cream on the foot. She is now separated into the 'hospital' which is a large dog crate next to the front door.
So, any ideas what it might be and how to treat it?
