Swollen feet- not sure it's bumblefoot?

[Mandyroo]

I noticed one of my girls had swollen feet the other day, and since she didn't want to roost, and walked a little funny, I figured it might be bumblefoot. So I spent a few hours reading the posts last night, pretty convinced that it was in fact bumblefoot. I got ready for "surgery" today(thanks to all the great advice here!) Imagine my surprise, when after soaking and cleaning with the epsom salts bath, there were no scabs on either foot! The pads on the bottom of both feet are warm to the touch, and the flesh is soft, not hardened. There are a couple of hard "knobs" on the outside of both feet, but again with no scabs, I didn't want to cut her open for no reason(I did nick her to see if there was any fluid or pus inside- nothing but a little blood- I didn't want to do any more without knowing for sure). I took a couple of pictures, maybe someone has an idea, or is it really bumblefoot but the scab hasn't developed yet? She is a RI red- I have 5 reds and 4 araucanas, and nobody else has feet this size!

 

[Pine Grove]

Looks like Gout to me

 

[Chicken0Boy]

I wish I knew...I am here to see what happens

and give you a bump...

Hope everything is okay!

 

[welasharon]

I don't know either but I treated a hen that was limping by soaking her legs and feet in a bath epsom salts and warm water. After two soakings she was better but I have been treating these chickens for scaly leg mites and I figured it was from that. Sorry I am not much help but another bump up.
sharon

 

[Chicken0Boy]

Im gonna bump you again, because this would be an important thing to me!

 

[Mandyroo]

I wondered about gout. I'm keeping her in a well-padded dog crate in the basement, and giving her some fruit and a little yogurt besides her feed. Since she's already inside, I'll continue to soak her feet a couple of times daily for a few days and see what happens. Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[CMV]

I have never seen anything quite like that before. I don't know that chickens get gout, but she definitely has something going on. It's not bumblefoot, I can tell you that. Does she have any signs of circulation problems? Can you push on the swollen areas, see if they sink back in and then slowly fill back out again? It looks like she has some sort of edema (swelling usually in the lower extremities from a build up of fluid in the body). Edema can be brought on by circulation problems or a bad heart. Bad hearts are not unheard of in chickens.

Have you had any cold temps? The only other thing that comes to mind is perhaps she got some frostbite on the feet. Not enough to leave burns, but enough to cause some localized swelling.

I'd let her rest for a few days and see how it goes. If they continue to swell then I would think she has a larger problem going on. If they slowly go back to normal then I would think she might have had an incident/injury that she should recover from.

Sorry I couldn't be more help. Good luck with her.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Soaking her feet might help sure hope it does.

 

[mypicklebird]

It looks like gout- take a look at/feel of the rest of her small joints in her wings. How old is this hen? Mycoplasma s can also cause swollen joints. All of the others are doing ok? If you can take her to a vet, x-rays and blood work will tell you if it is gout. Unfortunately- not really any great treatments/cures for this, just supportive care.

 

[Mandyroo]

Frostbite is a possibility. She tends to like to lay her eggs on the floor, and near the door of the coop, so that may have happened. I'll keep her on the soaks until the weekend and see what happens. She's very perky- not too happy about being kept inside! I will try to get a feel for the joints when I do the feet tonight. Eating well also.