Swollen chicken feet with white bumps

[SueHasChickens]

I can tell that you care very much about your flock. The epsom salt soaks that you are providing for her feet, are also therapeutic by giving some pain relief. If you don't see results from the coconut water or ACV, you may want to try some milkthistle. Milkthistle is an herb that helps to detoxify the liver and support it's function. I have had good success using it in the water of my hen that has a reproductive disorder, causing a build up of ascites in her belly. Her condition is incurable, but treatable. Like people with gout, there will be flareups, or your girl may recover without any further issues. I like to keep a bottle of "Lily of the Desert, Aloe Vera 80 Detoxifying Formula", it has milkthistle in it. The aloe vera is an immune system booster, as well as, the other herbs in it. One table spoon per gallon of water is all it takes. It can be used as a support when caring for sick chickens.

I hope this was helpful, please post updates. Especially if it you find out that there was a different cause to her illness. This is important for the learning process of the BYC members.

We can all learn from each other.

God Bless

Hi!
I gave her some toast and butter with shaved carrots, my husband was like what are you doing making a chicken breakfast! Me:Yes of course We have aloe that grows here, should I just give her an open stem of it? I will get her some milk thistle and change her feed to a lower protein. Here’s a picture of both her feet and I noticed she has a red belly with a scab also pictured. She is wet because she got pooped on my another chicken so she has a little bath ( poor girl is having a heck of a week).
Thank you,
Sue

 

[SueHasChickens]

@SueHasChickens It looks like bumble foot to me too.

Here is a link that I have used to treat a guinea with bumblefoot before.

https://www.backyardchickencoops.com.au/Signs-Symptoms-And-Treatments-For-Bumblefoot-In-Chickens

Thank you

 

[SueHasChickens]

Can you get any more pics, and one with the feet together?
Her feet look swollen which can be from several things, such as a joint infection from bumblefoot, mycoplasma synovitis (MS,) or another type of bacteria. Gout can cause swollen feet as well. The bumps could be from bumblefoot, but they also could be from pus underneath the skin from MS, or even from something like ant bites. Where are you located?

Hi,
I took pictures of her feet together and the bottom of her feet, thank you.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

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Hi!
I gave her some toast and butter with shaved carrots, my husband was like what are you doing making a chicken breakfast! Me:Yes of course We have aloe that grows here, should I just give her an open stem of it? I will get her some milk thistle and change her feed to a lower protein. Here’s a picture of both her feet and I noticed she has a red belly with a scab also pictured. She is wet because she got pooped on my another chicken so she has a little bath ( poor girl is having a heck of a week).
Thank you,
Sue

Yes, she has a very mild case of breast blister too. This is similar to rug burn in people. She has been rubbing her breast on the roost or some other surface, probably in an effort to take pressure off of her sore feet. Apply some antibiotic ointment till you are certain it is healed. The presence of bacteria in the coop and ground can cause it to worsen. Also, because she is ailing right now, you have to be vigilant for secondary infection. When she goes back out to the coop, you may want to wrap the perch with something soft, like an old rubber mat. I had to do this for my rooster, he had breast blister too. Then, I also switched to 5" X 1" planks. The chickens can sit on their feet easier and relax. Make sure the perches are sanded smooth, no splinters or sharp edges.

Oh, you should here my husband. He says, "those chickens eat better than me", I say "yup, they are healthier than you too!" LOL!

I just feel that while they are in my care, I want them to be healthy as possible. There is no cure for death, but quality of life is attainable. Strong immune systems can make a difference, as to whether a chicken survives an injury or illness. This is true for people too.

God Bless

 

[SueHasChickens]

Yes, she has a very mild case of breast blister too. This is similar to rug burn in people. She has been rubbing her breast on the roost or some other surface, probably in an effort to take pressure off of her sore feet. Apply some antibiotic ointment till you are certain it is healed. The presence of bacteria in the coop and ground can cause it to worsen. Also, because she is ailing right now, you have to be vigilant for secondary infection. When she goes back out to the coop, you may want to wrap the perch with something soft, like an old rubber mat. I had to do this for my rooster, he had breast blister too. Then, I also switched to 5" X 1" planks. The chickens can sit on their feet easier and relax. Make sure the perches are sanded smooth, no splinters or sharp edges.

Oh, you should here my husband. He says, "those chickens eat better than me", I say "yup, they are healthier than you too!" LOL!

I just feel that while they are in my care, I want them to be healthy as possible. There is no cure for death, but quality of life is attainable. Strong immune systems can make a difference, as to whether a chicken survives an injury or illness. This is true for people too.

God Bless

Thank you! I will treat her chest too. She has a wide perch and tonight she is laying on hay inside a cage inside the coup because it’s soft. She’s not a big fan of the kale but who really is

 

[Eggcessive]

Mine love kale, better than other greens or lettuce, but it has to be torn into dime size pieces, since they cannot pick it off the growing plant.

Breast blisters are common in chickens with mycoplasma synovitis, or other problems with lying on the ground to roost. They can abscess if not treated with betadine or a similar disinfectant. Dry clean bedding should always be used under them.The feet could be from gout or MS. Gout in chickens can be a result of many possible causes. Those can include a genetic predisposition to it, aflatoxin poisoning from mold, too much sodium or protein in the diet for a prolonged period, and others. It can be permanent and painful. MS is actually a mild respiratory disease that affects the joints.

It would be interesting to know if she has swollen hock joints.

 

[SueHasChickens]

Mine love kale, better than other greens or lettuce, but it has to be torn into dime size pieces, since they cannot pick it off the growing plant.

Breast blisters are common in chickens with mycoplasma synovitis, or other problems with lying on the ground to roost. They can abscess if not treated with betadine or a similar disinfectant. Dry clean bedding should always be used under them.The feet could be from gout or MS. Gout in chickens can be a result of many possible causes. Those can include a genetic predisposition to it, aflatoxin poisoning from mold, too much sodium or protein in the diet for a prolonged period, and others. It can be permanent and painful. MS is actually a mild respiratory disease that affects the joints.

It would be interesting to know if she has swollen hock joints.

Hi,
Were you able to see the pictures I posted of her feet? We have only had her about 2 months. We were feeding them a high protein diet 16% plus we gave them scraps of ham and poached fish pieces. We have changed her to a 8% protein feed and put some apple cider vinegar in their water. She loved the toast and butter, meh on the carrots and double meh on the kale. If she does not improve quickly at this point I will take her to a vet this week.
Thank you for your help and I’m really learning a lot !

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, I saw the pics, and they do look like ones I have seen of gout, but MS can look similar. I would use the normal 16% protein feed myself, and eliminate any meat and fish. Gout from excessive protein is when way more than 20% is used, and gout is pretty rare anyway. The gout that causes the swelling in feet is called articular gout. The other type is called visceral gout, and it is more common. It leaves white uric acid coating on internal organs.

 

[SueHasChickens]

Yes, I saw the pics, and they do look like ones I have seen of gout, but MS can look similar. I would use the normal 16% protein feed myself, and eliminate any meat and fish. Gout from excessive protein is when way more than 20% is used, and gout is pretty rare anyway. The gout that causes the swelling in feet is called articular gout. The other type is called visceral gout, and it is more common. It leaves white uric acid coating on internal organs.

Thank you, I hope she looks better in the morning so maybe I can tell if we are on the correct track. If not I guess she needs a veterinarian.

 

[SueHasChickens]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to give anyone who was interested an update today. The members here are so helpful to me and so kind in taking the time to help.

This morning some of the white bumps on her right inside foot were almost popping out of her skin, kind of like a big white head pimple (yuck). She was uncomfortable obviously. So I soaked her feet in an Epsom salt bath and then . .. I wrapped her securely in a soft bath towel covering her head as I read on a thread here. Holding her wrapped up in my right arm (like a baby) I then disenfected her foot with iodine solution, put on latex gloves, disinfected a pin and gently put a small prick into it (yuck, yuck). What follows next is not for the faint of stomach! I will tell you now that I am a retired Firefighter & Paramedic (22 years) so I’m good with ewwww things. This almost made me puke. A gooey white puss came out of the hole, I tried gently to push more out as wiped it away with a paper towel. The puss goo became more cheesy like (ewww). I kept trying to get it all out until I got some blood at the end, but really there was no bleeding involved. The chicken didn’t move at all and didn’t seem to mind, until I was almost done pushing all that crap out. The chicken only pulled her leg back a little at the very end. I then soaked it in Benidine solution again, and added a clean paper dressing and wrapped it neatly in vet wrap. After coming out of her towel wrap the chicken was ok. I put her in a small cage with some clean hay for a bed, water and food. She then took a nap, who could blame her. She did eat a little fresh papaya when she woke up. Tonight she seems to be doing ok and I will check her foot in the morning, she had enough for one day. Thanks everyone any thoughts?