Sdwd

[Serrin]

Good Evening all!

Hope your day has been a pleasant one!

Well, I tried to warn y'all, didn't I? Didn't I? I told ya that winter would be sneaking up on all of us much sooner than we expected or wanted! Didn't I? See? I told ya so!!

Today the weather gods have turned their backs on us and we've gotten our first unpleasant day in the better part of two weeks. Summer hasn't been any great shakes, but the last two weeks had sort of made up for it, considering that we were running about 15 to 20 degrees higher than normal for this time of year. And believe me, we took full advantage of it with outdoor projects!!

I have a question, by the way, about bumble foot. Have any of you ever had to deal with it? The reason I ask is because Evie isn't getting any better, even though I've tried to keep her as quiet as possible. No easy feat considering that she's young and otherwise very active. I do insist at night that she roost in one of the next boxes to be closer to the floor in the morning. I hate doing that to her. She obviously likes the top roost in the coop, right next to Chief and cuddled up to him every night the way she does.

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny again, and I'm going to try to get some pictures of her feet. I really don't think this is a sprain any more folks. I kept hoping, but she's getting worse, not better.

Her right foot is considerably swollen now, and today I've noticed that the area between her outer toe and middle toe looks as though it may have an infection in it. Starting to turn light pink/reddish in other words. It just doesn't look good at all to me. Maybe I'm being over reactive, but she's my very first hatched chicken ever! There's always a special bond between a mama and her first born, isn't there?

So, if any of y'all have any advice, I'd really, REALLY appreciate hearing it!

 

[kathyinmo]

Non invasive Bumblefoot treatment ....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=303829&p=1

I am at work, sorry no time to chat ...

 

[NellaBean]

Hmmm, I have a craaaaaaaaaaazy white leghorn hen with bumblefoot now. I haven't had it ever before.........I'm a total weirdo and almost looking forward to treating it surgically, i think it will be neat LOL. My dad just flew in yesterday and will be here for 2 weeks. I plan on using him to help hold her so I can work on it. It looks pretty bad and she is definitely limping and less wild and crazy as usual.

It was brrrrrrrrr cold here today too. Had to turn the heater on! Bet the chickens are enjoying it though........power went out this morning for a couple hours and when it came back on the single chick in the garage was all huddled up under the heat lamp warming back up. It's fully feathered but has a bad eye so is in there until I decide what to do with it.

 

[Cetawin]

Amy if it is bumblefoot, it will have a spot that looks like it has a black scab...look on the bottom of the foot, the toes and even on the top of the toes. That scab must be cut out and the gunk under it removed. There will be a hole there, clean it well with a sterile saline solution or betadine, pack with triple antibiotic ointment and wrap the foot to keep it dry and clean...change banage and re-pack as needed.

If it is turning red and such...and you can find the black scab, do not waste time with non-evasive treatment...cut it out with an exacto knife and get it taken care of....bumblefoot is a staph infection and it can go septic and kill...if it is red that is a bad sign. Get it out of there....Cyn hs removed them many times and she can tell you how to cut...it is something like a 45 degree angle all the way around the scab and plug. But she will chime in here I am sure and help...you can also search for "bumblefoot surgery" there are some very informative posts around here.

Here are a couple pics for you

 

[Serrin]

Thank you LH!

Those pictures are exactly what I needed to see. I haven't messed with her yet. The day was so crappy and dark anyhow, and my eyesight ain't what it used to be. But I'll be grabbing her first thing tomorrow morning after I have everyone else settled. Should I get my little butt down to TSC and get some injectable antibiotics, if this does indeed turn out to be bumble foot? Or will the triple antibiotic ointment be enough? I know my own penchant for over reacting when it comes to my chickens. I'd just hate to put poor little Evie through a whole bunch of trauma or drama if it isn't necessary. But on the other side of the coin, I'd really hate like he|| to loose her because I didn't do anything at all!

What if I look at the bottom of her foot and I don't see that nasty spot? I have looked at the top and between the toes, but haven't gotten my hands on her to look at the underside as yet. So far, I don't see any kind of abrasion, puncture or any kind of breach of the skin what so ever. Can bumble foot happen and yet still not exhibit the classic symptoms??

Kathy, thank you so much for taking the time to find that link for me. As soon as I finish here, I'll be checking that out as well. Hopefully, if it is bumble foot, I'll have caught it soon enough that a slower, noninvasive treatment will be viable. If I can avoid performing surgery and still get the same results, then hallelujah! I'll be the happiest girl west of the Rockies! If not *sigh* then I guess I'd better start rounding up my supplies now and get down to business. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow morning now...that's for sure.

Thanks again y'all. I do feel better knowing that y'all are just a mouse click away if I should need help. And some of you are just a phone call away!

LH, don't be a bit surprised if you get a call from me tomorrow!

 

[joletabey]

Amy - are you up and at 'em? What does that foot look like?

 

[kathyinmo]

Have you guys seen the thread (contest) Nifty started for the worst chicken molt?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=394556

My poor little EE gal is molting, and it is a hard molt. Poor little thing. I see lots of feathers around this week, I do believe molting season has begun.

 

[NellaBean]

I had a blue cochin hen that was almost nekkid. It actually hurt to pick her up she was so prickly. I put off and put off andput off getting pix of her and now she is covered in very short silvery blue feather stubs. Poor crazy bird. You think big poofy cochins look funny when they come running up a hill? Imagine a half nekkid and prickly cochin running up a hill? She looked like Forrest Gump.

 

[Serrin]

It's official...

She has an irrefutable case of bumble foot. I managed to get my hands on her this morning, about an hour ago, got her calmed down enough to take her into the coop, close the door and take a look at the situation.

You have to understand, that while Evie is a very loving little lady, she is so only on her own terms! Not when I want her to be! So, while she'll come right up to me and accept a stroke or two along her back, she does NOT like being picked up. Hence all of the drama this morning, just to get her in a position that I could examine the underside of her foot!

And yup, it's there, the small black dot. It's not real big yet. The foot is warmer to the touch than the other foot, so I'm hoping this also means that I've caught this early enough that it won't be a major ordeal in restoring her to good health. So, I'm off to look up everything I can find on treating and curing bumble foot. I'll report back later this evening. It probably won't be until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest that I can begin treatment. I'm going to have to round up whatever it is I'm going to need to treat this, ya know.

I hate not being prepared! I keep telling myself to put together a first aid kit for chickens, and I just keep failing to do so! Well, this should teach me not to procrastinate! Poor little Evie. She's having to suffer that horrible foot, all because I'm the Queen of Procrastination!

Does anyone have a good shopping list of essentials to treating bumble foot that I could borrow? I'm not even entirely sure of everything I need yet. An exact-o knife to lance the foot. Triple antibiotic salve to put in after it has been drained of the infection and cleaned. Some kind of sterile dressings suitable to an active little chicken's foot........what else guys? What else should I have on hand? Should I pick up some injectable antibiotics and hypodermic needles? What kind? What size? Where do I get them?

I haven't a clue!

HEEELLLPPP!!!!





Sheesh! Am I pathetic or what???

 

[rancher hicks]

Cynthia, I need that quilt asap it's freezing here. No snow but I'm old and don't generate the heat like I used to. I'm ready to turn on the furnace and would if that blasted window was put back in the bedroom. I had to take it out to get it fixed and am waiting for help to get it back in.
plus LSIL had to get the airconditioners out of the windows too.

forgot, the new Practical Poultry mag is out.