Rubber bands left on feet of chickens, has grown into legs (PHOTOS)

[okieinalaska]

I had posted earlier in the week that I got three gold laced bantam cochins off craigslist. I bought them without seeing them walk (we were in a parking lot). We get home and while they all limp I think it's because they have mud and poop in their foot feathers. Then I notice one is really limping bad and was injured. We gave her a foot bath and all kinds of yuck came off.

I had told the lady I bought them from that the ones foot was hurt and she offered to exchange it. We met again to exchange and when I was showing the lady the chickens foot, I realized something...the foot was only hanging on by one tendon! I guess there had been so much muck and yuck on there it was just a lump before, not hanging. There was no blood or anything, it was an old injury. We were both shocked and we exchanged for another one of the sister chickens.

Today I had the cochins out in the garden. I happened to pick the bigger one my dd calls Chicklet and looked at her feet. She had something black on her ankle. At first I thought it was a feather growing in but it wrapped around her foot. I picked at it and realized it was a black rubber band that had grown into her foot! It was wrapped twice around her foot. I managed to get it off in one piece, it has grown in some and her foot bled but it came off. It wasn't too awful and we intended on giving her a foot bath. When we went to put them all away I noticed the new switcheroo cochin's foot was bleeding. I realized there was probably a rubber band there as well but couldn't see it.

We soaked her foot and still there was a big scabby thing on the underside. I tried pulling it off and it would budge some and then kind of snap back. Yes, it was the rubber band!! I got scissors and carefully cut it and managed to get it off. Her shank looks terrible. I have posted some photos I took with my phone, the underside really looks the worst. We poured hydrogen peroxide on it and then later some bandaid brand antiseptic and bandaged it up. I thought about bag balm but of course our walmart is the only one in the world that doesn't carry it. She is resting in the kitchen in a plastic tub.
The last photo is the rubber band with all kinds of yuck on it. I can't believe my dd (age 11) and I managed to get this off ourselves but the though of leaving it there was worse and kept us going.

Can she survive this and what do I need to do to keep her healthy? She is pretty skinny too. I tried giving her yogurt in her feed but she didn't care for it and kept wiping her beak. She is a little trooper though. She is eating and drinking. Today she easily ate a pound of sand and grit too while she was dust bathing. (they all refused to eat the worm we found for them though)



Here is the first chicken whose foot was actually hanging, in this photo you can see it a little. Honestly could not tell it was just hanging on!

here is one view of the foot of switcheroo after rubber band was removed

view two of switcheroo

the rubber band and more...

I emailed the lady to tell her about the rubber band and she was very apologetic and upset. She had bought them from someone else and never knew they had rubber bands on them. The bands were black just like the foot feathers. She found rubber bands on the other two she has as well.

What else do we need to do? I will be checking the third one we have tomorrow, I am 99% sure it has a band on it was well.
Thank you if you have read this far!!

 

[redhen]

Wow! That gets me upset... What IDIOT would leave rubberbands on an animals foot! Gah!!

 

[BorderKelpie]

Wow, good catch!

I would continue to flush the wounds with saline or even sterile water. You may try an ointment (no cortisone or pain meds added) to keep it moist until the skin starts to regenerate. Feed them well and they should do ok.

Great job you and your daughter did.

 

[ruthless]

Soaking their feet in warm water with Epsom salts will help take down the swelling and be relaxing for them.

 

[KimberlyJ]

Now that the irritant is gone I bet you'll be surprised at how fast the swelling goes down and it heals! I agree with those that posted above me--soak it and putneosporin on it.

 

[StephanieD]

Wow! Why would they put rubber bands on their feet?? For identification? I am glad you found your chickens band before permanent damage was done.

I would soak in epsom salts, apply neosporin and seperate her from the flock for a few days. Once a scab starts the others may pick at it.

 

[Judy]

Agh, that is awful. Thankfully, chickens heal remarkably well, just hope you caught it in time that there won't be permanent damage. I'd probably rinse the wounds with saline or mild soapy water once or twice a day and apply Neosporin ointment, but the mild Epsom salts might be good, too. Also keep flies away from the wounds so they don't get maggots in there. The pain reliever that's in Neosporin won't hurt them, BTW. It's the "caine" drugs in some topicals that will, such as benzocaine, cetacaine, etc.

 

[blefky]

Good job on the clean up!

Looks like she still has good circulation to the injured foot - if you keep infection down I bet she heals up just fine. What a huge relief it must be to have that painful band removed.

 

[dutchhollow]

They look like the sprirel id bands? Regardless, they will heal up pretty quick. I purchased a few hens at auction once, one had a large foot, got to looking at it to make sure it wasn't anything contagious and it was a feed sack (or some other) string wrapped around, and grown in. Also working with a vet and volunteering at an animal shelter, you would be amazed at how many collars and chains have to be cut out of dogs necks every day!

 

[DuckyGurl]

That is horrible! WHY would they leave rubber bands on?!!