Sick chicken and possible bumblefoot

[myssi]

Hello, about three days ago when i let my 4 girls out of the coop one did not come out. She laid an egg around noon then left the coop and joined the others, the next day she did the same thing but i noticed she was acting weird, lethargic and not coming to eat the evening treat i always give them This morning she again didn't get out of the coop with the rest of the girls, I went to the feed store and got some antibiotics and has been giving them to her orally. She is very lethargic, not keeping her eyes open, tail is down and runny poo. I then noticed her feet, can someone tell me if this is indeed bumble foot. If so then im thinking this might be the issue. Any advice would be great since I am very green and have only been a chicken owner for two months now.

 

[teach1rusl]

Does the dark spot feel like a scabby thing??? And is it swollen?? I've only dealt with bumblefoot a few times, and my birds didn't act ill. I only caught one case because I saw my chicken favoring the other leg (I caught the other cases through preventative inspections). Is your chicken hobbling or favoring a certain foot???

Each time your hen stayed in the coop, did she lay? Or only that first day?

 

[myssi]

Hello Teach1rusl,

No the dark spots dont feel like scabs is more of a discoloration and its very puffy. The chicken hasn't walked that i have seen in two days and i didn't notice any hobbling or favoring of feet before then. The first day she did lay, the second day im almost sure she laid an egg and yesterday morning i took her into the house and have been keeping her confined and she has not laid any egg since. I have been giving her oral antibiotics and electrolytes around the clock and today there is about a 15% improvement. I have attached more pics for better clarification. Maybe she just has chubby feet.

 

[teach1rusl]

In the photos you added, the dark spot toward the center of that stained looking area does look like bumblefoot. However, I've just never heard of it making the chicken really sick (not saying it's not possible though). Pick at the dark spot in the center with your finger nail to see if it seems different than the surrounding tissue - callousy. I'm wondering if your chicken either has another issue going on, and perhaps it's just coincidence that you noticed a bumblefoot issue???
Is she arching her back a bit? I'm wondering if she could be eggbound. They do puff up a lot with that, and have a kind of hunched look. Their vent/back end area tends to pulse quite a bit too...as if they're trying to expel something. If you think THAT'S possible, then I'd give her a warm bath and massage her abodomen gently. You can also add a little lubricant just inside the vent.
I'm sorry you're not getting more feedback; I've only dealt with two illnesses with my birds before (bumblefoot and internal laying), so my experience is limited.

 

[sparklechicken]

That looks like bumblefoot to me. Feed store antibiotics like duramicin-10 will generally not help with bumblefoot. From my research, the best course of action is an rx antibiotic like baytril and a local antibiotic on the foot. Also, soak the foot in a saline bath until the scab softens, then peel it back with an exacto-knife to relieve the infection underneath. It's messy business. But search for bumblefoot, you'll came up with a lot of helpful threads!