Presumed Bumblefoot on Our Older Hens

[RiceHolisticGarden]

We recently moved the garden to a more central location in the campus, and our chickens were moved as the new garden was finished in June. It has been quite busy at the garden, but the flock has settled into the new coop for about a month now.

The two black hens with the presumed bumblefoot are older and on the smaller side. Unfortunately, the specifics are not known because we were not involved when they were first given to us in early 2020. We suspect they are at least 3-4 years old. They are currently unimpeded by the bumblefoot, but the lesions on their feet appear to be slowly worsening. We first noticed the bumblefoot a few days ago, and currently, there is some associated redness and swelling. The hens have been drinking and eating normally, as we provide ample feed and fresh water, and the poops look normal too.

The chickens are currently living in a coop with a thick layer of pine straws as the bedding and a layer of pavers underneath. The new coop was built with a water faucet inside the coop for ease of access, but it slowly drips, unless extremely tightened, and had been for a few weeks. We think this may have contributed to the bumblefoot. In addition, we have a layered roost (with relatively wide and flat bars) and the highest rung is about 5 feet off the ground.

As of now, we have not provided any treatment as we have been unsure of how to approach this. We have been closely monitoring their status for the past few days, however. We have searched online and tried reaching out to chicken experts (we have not heard back from yet as of this post), and found minor cases can be treated by removing the lesion after softening with a warm Epsom salt bath and subsequent wound dressing. However, we have also found severe cases are best treated by veterinarians and surgical removal. We are not quite experienced with chickens, so we wanted to seek advice on how to approach the situation before taking action soon. Ultimately, we hope to resolve this issue entirely.

Pictures of the issue are attached below, we have also attached the most recent pictures of the coop we have (at the time, the coop was unfinished but most of it was completed). Unfortunately, we don't have many great pictures of the interior of the coop.

Thank you so much for all your help, we appreciate it, and we hope to update you all with good news in the future!

 

[RubelliteRose]

That is bumblefoot, but it is pretty minor and easily treated at home . I would do the soak in warm epsom salt bath for about 10 minutes. Then wrap your chicken in a towel - it also helps to have a second person. Remove the scab and core with flat tweezers. Rinse the hole left by the core with vetericyn or an iodine solution. Let dry a bit, then fill the hole with non-painkilling triple antibiotic ointment. I usually cover the spot with a small piece of gauze and wrap the foot with vet wrap. Make sure not to wrap the foot too tightly. Check the spot every couple of days and change the bandage if needed or if it gets wet from rain.
This is a good article on bumblefoot: https://www.tillysnest.com/2015/12/non-surgical-bumblefoot-treatment-html/
I've found that some of my chickens seem to be more susceptible to bumblefoot and will have to be treated again while others have never had it. We do periodic bumblefoot checks on all our chickens just to be safe.

 

[RiceHolisticGarden]

Hi all,

Thank you for the feedback, and along with looking at similar threads, we have started the process of removing their bumbles!

We may have ran into an issue after we removed the first bumble from Regina. There was some bleeding upon removal, and after a few days, it appears there is some internal bruising, as the flesh around the wound seemed to be much more purple than when we last saw it, and there was also a whitish layer of skin on top. After we wrapped Regina, she seemed to initially struggle bearing weight on that foot, but adjusted a few hours later. Attached below is a picture for reference. We are mostly worried this could be a sign the wound got infected and that there may have been an unanticipated complication in the bumble removal process.

Today, we removed the second bumble from Regina, and this seems to have gone more smoothly. We cleaned out the inner wound as much as possible, but more importantly there was no bleeding! The bumble on Karen's foot seems to need more soaking before it fully softens, so we'll wait to remove that bumble.

 

[RubelliteRose]

That does look like bruising on Regina's foot I'm not sure though. I've never had bruising even when there was bleeding with the core removal.
I looked back at the size of the scab in the original pictures and I think there may be some scab left on her foot surrounding the hole. I think the area between the hole and the white area is more scab that would need to be removed before the core could be removed. Let me tag a few people who may be able to help too.
@Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock Does this look like bruising or a deeper infection?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Never seen it look like that after treating for bumblefoot.

If vet care is an option, that would be best.

 

[RiceHolisticGarden]

Hey BYC,

We greatly appreciate everyone who chimed in and provided advice!

UPDATE: Since there were several health issues compounding, we ultimately took Karen and Regina to the vet.

Karen started hobbling on her right foot as she developed a nasty blister on her right foot, as the scales and outer layer started peeling off. We initially wrapped the foot, but there was too much liquid oozing out, so we stopped bandaging (but have concerns since the foot is exposed to the coop). Currently, the wound has dried and her hobble is less severe, though she still favors the left foot a bit.

Regina also started hobbling but on her left foot. We have no idea as to why this happened, as the bumblefoot and bruising appeared to have been healing well. Currently, she is back to normal.

Both currently have scabs, and we are hopeful these scabs will eventually peel off to reveal healthy feet. They are currently taking antibiotics/anti-inflammatories provided by the vet, and they seem to be doing well. The vet recommended bumblefoot surgery for both, which is unfortunately out of consideration due to the high costs. We learned from our professors the garden is not supported by the university and the only funding we receive is through selling our produce to the university.

Through a fecal sample, the vet also discovered they have parasitic worms! We were provided a de-wormer which we have been providing them daily.