Oh god help me is this bumble foot?

[Eggcessive]

You have been given very good advice from Suzie and Chickensaresweet. Here are some links with videos about bumblefoot and surgery:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/07/bumblefoot-causes-treatment-warning.html
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/livestock-and-pets/how-to-treat-bumblefoot-in-chickens.aspx

 

[charsbird]

Here is a thread about crud balls

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/924173/is-this-gout

 

[charsbird]

another thread

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/88771/kind-of-gross-foot-problem-have-questions-pics-added

 

[okiemamachick]

Oh yeah! I already had gloves on in the pic lol.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Oh yeah! I already had gloves on in the pic lol.

I really really hope she heals up nicely for you.

 

[okiemamachick]

Me too...I'm nervous for everything because her black spot is basically her whole foot pad all the pics show spots maybe the size of a pencil eraser eek!

 

[21hens-incharge]

She does have a really bad case of it.
I read that soaking the foot prior to trying to open the mass should help soften it. I also read that it is better to open it by pulling it open at the edges of the scab rather than squeezing it. I read to soak it in one cup of epsom salt in a dish pan of hot water (not hot enough to burn your hand but still hot) until the water cools, about 10 to 15 minutes. What I read also warned not to let the chicken drink any of the soaking water.

Again I have not had to treat anyone for this so I would lean on the information of others that have treated for it.

 

[azygous]

I recommend you take this one thing at a time. I understand how panicky you may be feeling at the prospect of surgery because I was in your shoes just this past summer facing this same issue. It can feel daunting.

I discovered four of my five one-year old Welsummers had Bumblefoot. First I panicked because I had read accounts of the surgery and treatments for Bumblefoot and I really didn't feel capable of cutting into their precious little feet and just the thought of it petrified me. And I was also ashamed that I had allowed conditions that contributed to their injuries. So my brain was pretty much over-run with crazy thinking and fear.

Then I read an account of Bumblefoot treatment that didn't require surgery. So I calmed down and tried to simplify my thinking. I could do this!

The first thing I did was to get a basin of very warm water with a liberal amount of Epsom salts dissolved in it and got together the first aid supplies I'd need:

Vet wrap cut into 1" x 12" strips - one for each foot you have to treat
Vetericyn spray or gel (pricey stuff but it works miracles)
Triple antibiotic ointment
Q Tips
Non-stick bandaids
Cuticle scissors

Have everything set up with a seat for you to be comfortable, and towels to wrap and dry the patient.
You will be soaking the hen's foot, or both feet if both feet are infected, for at least fifteen minutes. Try to soak them longer since it appears to be such a large area.

After all the soaking, the black scabby part should be loose around the edges. Wrap your hen securely in a towel so she doesn't get nervous and flap her wings. Lay her across your lap so you can comfortably work on her feet. She will be calm and probably won't struggle. If she does, speak to her quietly until she settles down.

Take your thumb or finger nail and very gently start prying loose the scab, working inward. If it won't budge, soak her foot some more. Keep working the scab loose until you get to the "kernel" at the center. You'll know it when you see it. You need to remove it.

If you can't work it loose from the foot pad, you may need the cuticle scissors to sever any tissue that doesn't want to let go.

You will now have a cavity. You need to clean out every bit of gunk or dark matter. It may bleed a tiny bit, but you need to get every bit, leaving just the hens pink, normal tissue. Use a QTip to get the cavity good and clean. Use the cuticle scissors to free any diseased tissue that is stubborn or, if it's really stubborn and you have a scalpel, use it. (We will pretend it's not really surgery)

Flush it out with Betadine or hydrogen peroxide and rinse. Then spray with the Vetericyn and then fill the cavity with triple antibiotic ointment.

Make sure her foot is dry and stretch a regular non-stick bandaid (1") over the wound. This is to keep the vet wrap from sticking to the wound. Take the vet wrap and lay one end of it across the bottom of her foot, and wrap it over the top between two of the toes, then around and over again bringing it between two other toes, then over again, and around her ankle, finishing with the rest around the ankle so it won't work loose when she walks on it.

You're finished! Unless her other foot needs doing.

In two days, take the bandage off and repeat the whole thing over again.

In another couple days, take the bandage off and see how the healing is coming. Repeat the process until her foot looks smooth and pink.

My hens healed very fast. In a week they were good to go, except for one. Her's was a stubborn case on both feet. But her bandages could come off after five or six days, and every night before she roosted, I sprayed her feet with the Vetericyn. That stuff heals like gangbusters! I can't praise it enough! You can find it in any feed store in the first aid supplies for treating all animals. I didn't find it in the chicken section. It was over by the horse and cow and dog stuff.

Hope this helps. Good luck. I would have kept the hen, too, and fixed her up. Welsummers are a most charming breed!

 

[okiemamachick]

Thanks that is very helpful!

 

[justplainbatty]

Also for what it's worth I sent the people I bought them from an email and gave them a piece of my mind

Good for you! I guess giving them back was not the best idea I ever had, I was just so mad. I had a guy sell me two Millie Fluers with scaly leg mite

and had no recourse at all. It is best to treat them and provide a better home.

ETA: vocabulary