poop toes???

[spell]

My family has rescued 5 hens and a rooster from a not so suitable environment. They are safe and hopefully happy now but my question is this...
Some of them have grayish ball like formations on some of their toes. They seem to walk, scratch, eat and drink just fine. They really do not seem bothered. Someone told be that it could be from walking in their own poop for extended periods. (they now have a beautifully clean coop and lots of grassy run). I have searched online only to find nothing.
I would like to clean them up if possible and I am wondering if it is hurting them....
I am very new to keeping chickens any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[77horses]

My opinion is that it's either bumblefoot or from walking in their own droppings for so long.

Maybe you could try gently soaking their feet in warm, clean water to see if it softens up the hard stuff on their feet. If it is poop, then it will probably eventually come off with lots of soaking. Right now it's caked on and really hard, so it won't come off easy until it's soaked and softened. I would say soak their feet in warm water for a good amount of time each day and see if that helps...And that's so nice that you saved those poor hens from the horrible environment they were in.

Good luck!

 

[spell]

thanks!
from what i've seen, it's NOT bumblefoot. no sores and not on the sole of the foot....
it looks a bit like caked on poop balls attached to the toenails. you can actually hear them when they walk on the ramp leading out of the coop. i will try the soaking once they have settled in and are a little more at ease.
honestly, just wondering if anyone has ever seen such a thing. i do not want to scare them or cause any damage. they seem completely fine.

 

[girlychick]

Sorry but this title made me crack up xD.
It could just be chicken poop or dirt. Try soaking there feet and cleaning out there coop

 

[burquechick]

Could it be scaly leg mites? You can treat that with Vaseline.

 

[Dora'smom]

Part of our run got muddy last year, and one of our birds developed perfectly round balls on her toenails. I soaked and washed her feet and it all dissolved off. At first she was upset, but by the end of the cleaning, she was cooing. None of the other birds had any such difficulty. I don't know what made her different, but it has not recurred.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
Maybe...It might even be both.

In that case, what I would try if I were you is try soaking their feet in warm, clean water for a while to see if it helps at all...Then, if they look like they have scaly leg mites (posting pictures would help determine that), treat with vaseline.

 

[key west chick]

My seramas are always getting little mud/poo balls on their toes. They seem to be the only ones who get them. I just take a pair of scissors and kinda carefully snip it away.

 

[spell]

Quote:
haha! glad you liked it....whatever you do, don't try to google "poop toes in chickens" or for that matter anything with the word poop in it!

thanks for the help y'all. glad to know that someone at least has an idea of what's going on.
when I have a little more time to get familiar with the boards, I'm sure I'll have lots to say.
again, thanks!--i feel so bad for the little squalkers but they seem to be getting adjusted to having some freedom and a 7 yr old to hover over them constantly.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
haha! glad you liked it....whatever you do, don't try to google "poop toes in chickens" or for that matter anything with the word poop in it!

thanks for the help y'all. glad to know that someone at least has an idea of what's going on.
when I have a little more time to get familiar with the boards, I'm sure I'll have lots to say.
again, thanks!--i feel so bad for the little squalkers but they seem to be getting adjusted to having some freedom and a 7 yr old to hover over them constantly.

Oh and I almost forgot to say....