I've only been raising silkies less than a year. I've got a hen who is smaller than the rest and limps. We thought her feathers were tripping her up, so we cut them back a couple of weeks ago. The problem seems to be getting worse, though. Now she won't put any weight on that foot. We've looked her over thoroughly, and the only anomaly we can see is a tight cluster of feathers just above the foot. My husband trimmed them back and they've formed a pretty hard little protrusion. I really love this girl, so any advice or ideas would be appreciated.
Might be bumble foot under those feathers? Or an injury that has gotten infected. You want to keep her on clean footing, typically for foot injuries I put them on towels, to keep it dry and free from debris. Sometimes a wire bottom will help, or will hinder healing. It just depends on where the injury is. Usually I'll do a wire bottom if it's a toe, and towels if it's a pad. Wash the foot thoroughly with a mild soap. The area you found when trimming feathers, see if you can get a good look at it. Apply Hydrogen Peroxide, and let dry for half hour. Next apply Neosporin (without pain killer, bad for birds) or Betadine or Blue Kote. Something with antiseptic in it. The other purpose for towels is too keep debris from sticking to the treated area, a hard thing on a foot. It means constant cleaning. Treat the foot twice daily, wash as needed. Check the area frequently to mark improvement.
