Topic of the Week - Bumblefoot - Prevention and Treatment

[triciayoung]

I would like to hear about post-surgery and how much success folks have had removing the bacteria from the bloodstream. Catching it early is key, but once the damage it is done it is hard to turn back a weak bird which it's muscles has become overwhelmed with atrophy. Something we are currently experiencing.

You will need an antibiotic: https://poultrydvm.com/drugs/cloxacillin. If you don't have access to a vet, you can get something close here: https://allbirdproducts.com/collections/chicken-antibiotic-medications

 

[Firsttimehens1234]

I would like to hear about post-surgery and how much success folks have had removing the bacteria from the bloodstream. Catching it early is key, but once the damage it is done it is hard to turn back a weak bird which its muscles has become overwhelmed with atrophy. Something we are currently experiencing.

one of my hens had Bumblefoot on both feet, both quite bad and I soaked her feet in a bath every day for 3 months, and wrapped it in gauze and put some anibiotic cream on her feet. I eventually had to do surgery on both feet but it worked out great and she is thriving and her feet look just like they did before even though I caught it late
As you can see they looked pretty bad but they are scab free now and as soft as a baby now

 

[triciayoung]

We completed the surgery successfully a month ago. It healed up really fine but shortly after she lost use of her legs so we used penicillin injectable...versus the the antibiotics Trimethoprim Sulfa noted in the thread you linked. She is still a special needs bird and cannot become mobile. We are on the edge of culling her for Humane reasons. It's a shame because she's such a young and beautiful bird.

If she is not in pain that can be controlled - many of us have disabled chickens that cannot walk. If you have the time - we can help you.

 

[triciayoung]

View attachment 1229650 View attachment 1229652 View attachment 1229653
Note pic2. This is how she moves about. We keep her in a kennel all night, and take her out in the morning and put her in a segregated area so the roosters cannot gang up on her. We have cleaned up all the bacterial infection but she has lost use of her legs. She has to become a special needs chicken.

Did the vet prescribe meloxicam?

 

[triciayoung]

My experience was similar. I give my birds regular check ups and found a tiny dark scab on one of my hen's feet. With my thumbnail I scraped off the surface of it, then soaked her feet in a warm bath with epson salt about 10 minutes. Then I took a pair of tweezers and removed the remainder of the scabbed tissue, dabbed on a little neosporin, and bandaged it. Soaked it again the next day as a precaution but by then it was already closing up. By the end of the week there was nothing but a faint discoloration where the scab had been.

I had bumblefoot with one of my silkies and @janiedoe helped me. I used PRID on it and wrapped. It took 3-days for it to surface enough for me to remove the nodule. Then I used antibiotic ointment and wrapped. 4-days later, it was healed. Now I have one that will not tolerate a bandage at all. I cannot say enough good about Curicyn Wound Care Clay. It is an excellent clay bandage with antibacterial properties.

 

[triciayoung]

Desert soil is rough, rocky, and generally inhospitable to chicken feet. Here's what has worked for me to help prevent foot injuries: for years I hauled bags of horse manure onto my chicken free range area and runs, beginning with the most heavily used portions and working my way out. I've probably composted a ton of the stuff along with the rakings from elsewhere in my yards and the coops. There is a double benefit in that the birds love to dig through the manure, especially if it's fresh, eating all the bugs and partially digested grains and such, and over time, the harsh, rocky ground has been topped over with the composted soil making it much more gentle for the chickens' feet. I rake it up periodically and make new compost piles-the fun never stops!

Good job - changing your soil

 

[triciayoung]

Tricide neo is what I used and the results were successful. Somewhere or other there are pictures.
It's been some years and the problem never recurred. She's 6-years old tomorrow too!

I just ordered tricide neo.

 

[triciayoung]

I have had a couple of chickens with Bumblefoot this year. We moved from the suburbs over a year ago and my new coop is much bigger. I never had bumblefoot before, but I think it may be because of their high roosts. In the spring, I plan to redo my coop and run setup to avoid this, and to avoid predators. My coop is a 10'12' shed, and of course, they all like to roost as high as they can.

I have documented a particularly bad case of bumblefoot from an EE this year. I was thinking about creating an article about it. I think I will, because it could be helpful to others here. The one case was puzzling, because there was not a clear core, or scab. I believe the cause was a small pine needle that had punctured her foot.

I think my bumblefoot cases are from the high roosts as well. I ordered 1-inch waterproof yoga mats for the floor of my coops.