Not treating Bumblefoot?

[berkchicks]

No Judge Zone

Has anyone here NOT treated their chickens Bumblefoot?

What was the result?

I just read an article saying that the whole at home surgical approach to Bumblefoot is usually not necessary nor recommended and that the Merick guide doesn’t recommend surgery as a first approach either.

I just treated 4 cases of Bumblefoot and am not looking forward to doing it ever again lol

Just hoping maybe this article is on to something.

Here is the link:https://thefrugalchicken.com/bumblefoot-backyard-chickens/

 

[centrarchid]

A treatment option that is less invasive may be to move infected bird to a location where it is walking on a dry and clean surface. Surface I have been using is simply grass. It can take a month or more for the swelling to subside. Keeping the feet from being chronically exposed to bacteria enriched wet surface seems to be key.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

A question for @centrarchid then... if one chicken has bumblefoot, can one assume that others in the flock will, too? If a chicken gets it due to exposure to wet, unsanitary conditions, then shouldn't one assume that others either have or will get it soon?

 

[berkchicks]

Thank you!
Our girls are only in the grass and a little bit of a wooded/forest kind of space. They only sleep in their run/coop.

Not all of our girls have Bumblefoot. Just a few but ugh it’s awful to treat. I might take them to a vet next time.

A treatment option that is less invasive may be to move infected bird to a location where it is walking on a dry and clean surface. Surface I have been using is simply grass. It can take a month or more for the swelling to subside. Keeping the feet from being chronically exposed to bacteria enriched wet surface seems to be key.

 

[centrarchid]

A question for @centrarchid then... if one chicken has bumblefoot, can one assume that others in the flock will, too? If a chicken gets it due to exposure to wet, unsanitary conditions, then shouldn't one assume that others either have or will get it soon?

For me, bumblefoot infects only very sporadically and only one bird at a time. Most of a time it follows a foot injury when ground is very wet and otherwise nasty as caused by chickens on it. The bacteria involved are likely almost always present, it is just conditions make the bacteria more abundant. Then you have the issue of an opening such as a lesion resulting from fighting. More abundant bacteria and mechanical damage sets the stage for the chicken version of trench foot.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Hummm. We have had a lot of rain this year, and it's grassy where my birds are, too.... better do a foot check tonight. Moving them to a "dry" area is not an option..... unless I "up stakes" and move back to the desert!

 

[centrarchid]

My American Dominique's roosters are most prone to it. I pen an infected rooster singly in a smallish pen / chicken tractor, usually by himself. The pen is kept over grass and moved every couple of days. Even if it rains I can keep him on ground without all the nastiness associated with a run or walking through feces loaded run before jumping up to roost with wet feet.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

No Judge Zone

Has anyone here NOT treated their chickens Bumblefoot?

What was the result?

I just read an article saying that the whole at home surgical approach to Bumblefoot is usually not necessary nor recommended and that the Merick guide doesn’t recommend surgery as a first approach either.

I just treated 4 cases of Bumblefoot and am not looking forward to doing it ever again lol

Just hoping maybe this article is on to something.

Here is the link:https://thefrugalchicken.com/bumblefoot-backyard-chickens/

There are many methods of treating Bumblefoot in chickens and quite a few that are non-surgical. It really depends on the severity of the infection and how much time you want to invest in treatment. Surgery is probably the "quickest".

Some other options:

• Soaking daily in Tricide Neo https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/treating-bumblefoot-with-tricide-neo.513183/
  http://ouroneacrefarm.com/bumblefoot-treatment-tricideneo/
  https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...efoot-with-tricide-neo.1283554/#post-20729630
  
  
• Using Clear Iodine https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-have-bumblefoot.1139224/page-2#post-17686413
• Using a drawing salve like Prid https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bumblefoot-without-the-core.1198297/#post-19019242
• Other non-surgical treatment options https://www.tillysnest.com/2015/12/non-surgical-bumblefoot-treatment-html/ https://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2012/03/bumblefoot.html

 

[centrarchid]

There are many methods of treating Bumblefoot in chickens and quite a few that are non-surgical. It really depends on the severity of the infection and how much time you want to invest in treatment. Surgery is probably the "quickest".

Some other options:

• Soaking daily in Tricide Neo https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/treating-bumblefoot-with-tricide-neo.513183/
  http://ouroneacrefarm.com/bumblefoot-treatment-tricideneo/
  https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...efoot-with-tricide-neo.1283554/#post-20729630
  
  
• Using Clear Iodine https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-have-bumblefoot.1139224/page-2#post-17686413
• Using a drawing salve like Prid https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bumblefoot-without-the-core.1198297/#post-19019242
• Other non-surgical treatment options https://www.tillysnest.com/2015/12/non-surgical-bumblefoot-treatment-html/ https://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2012/03/bumblefoot.html

Emphasis needs to be on prevention.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Emphasis needs to be on prevention.

The pen is kept over grass and moved every couple of days. Even if it rains I can keep him on ground without all the nastiness associated with a run or walking through feces loaded run before jumping up to roost with wet feet.

Our girls are only in the grass and a little bit of a wooded/forest kind of space. They only sleep in their run/coop.

I agree, emphasis should be placed on prevention. As you mentioned you place pen on grass and move it. OP says their hens are only on grass and wooded/forest space - possibly sticks/debris or just wetness is causing abrasions/breaking down of tissue allowing infection? So what preventative measures would you recommend in this particular case? Possibly even lowering roosts if dealing with heavy breeds, jumping down can break down tissue over time.