Started as swollen foot, not looks worse. Please share your thoughts

Browning2013

Chirping
6 Years
May 30, 2013
56
0
69
Perry County, Ohio
Few days ago I noticed first thing in the morning my rooster wasn't with the hen like he normally is out free ranging a cow pasture. I found him beside the deck fluffed up and holding his left leg high in the air. When I picked him up I noticed it was quite swollen but didn't not appear broken in any way. I didn't have any epsom salt but I did have antibiotic ointment that I rubbed all over the foot top and bottom. I took these pictures that night:





First couple days he didn't move much and stayed in a huge dog box filled with straw. Yesterday and today he's out and about but struggling. He's got a bad limp and tries to stay off that foot as much as possible and to me, it looks worse. Alsmot as if it could be broken even though there's no dragging/drooping of the foot. He's my 2 year olds rooster and I'm not sure what to do at this point? He's still eating, roosting and trying to get around but it's obviously not easy for him. I wish I had gotten video so it would easier to see how he acts with it and such. If you'd like, I can do this tomorrow.

Here's some pics I took tonight of it.

 
I wonder if he has bumblefoot, they do often look swollen and it can show up pretty fast, I don't see that black spot on the bottom like you do a lot of times though.. Here is a link to a really long thread on it and how to do surgery. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/236649/bumblefoot-surgery-with-pics-and-how-to Here is one more talking about antibiotics people use. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/554991/antibiotics-for-bumblefoot You didn't see any wounds when you first found him, where he could have punctured the foot and maybe have some other kind of abscess/infection now?
 
I wonder if he has bumblefoot, they do often look swollen and it can show up pretty fast, I don't see that black spot on the bottom like you do a lot of times though.. Here is a link to a really long thread on it and how to do surgery. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/236649/bumblefoot-surgery-with-pics-and-how-to Here is one more talking about antibiotics people use. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/554991/antibiotics-for-bumblefoot You didn't see any wounds when you first found him, where he could have punctured the foot and maybe have some other kind of abscess/infection now?
The only thing that looked like a wound is the small red spot above the foot on his leg that looks what a scale is missing or whatever. Im not sure they're even called scales but if you click that first photo you should see what I am talking about.

Edit-that and the spot in the pic that has my hand in it. In between I guess it could be the thumb of the chicken and his other toe
 
Last edited:
That it shows up between the toes like that lump is pretty common. The first picture is odd with that spot higher up the leg, if there weren't swollen spots between the toes like that I'd wonder if something big stepped on him. Sometimes they don't have those big black spots on the soles, the foot just looks swollen. There are a lot of threads on BYC with pictures of it, you might want to do a search and see if any of them look like what you are seeing. Do you have him on any antibiotics?
 
I think that looks like a bad case of bumblefoot or an abcess (or both.) I would treat with Procaine Penicillin G and do the surgery unless you can take him to a vet soon.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom