Ugh, what's next...bumble foot...both of them?

[Jeffross1968]

If sick chickens isn't enough, now my buff orp is limping. So I picked her up, and it looks like she might have bumblefoot on both feet? Really? Here are the pics...what do you think? Will they both require surgery? How could this happen...

 

[RhodeIslandRedFan]

Yes, unfortunately they both look like bumblefoot, with the typical scab and the swelling. They both need to be treated so that the infection doesn't spread through her body, which could be fatal. If you search this site, you will find information on treatment other than surgery. Some folks use TricideNeo on mild cases, others use other types of foot soaks. Removing the scab and the infection inside is the quickest way to deal with this. Bumblefoot starts with an abrasion or cut on the bottom of the foot, which becomes infected. Since your chicken's both feet are involved, you might want to check your roosts, coop, and run for anything rough that could cause injury. If they free range and there are plants with thorns around, this could also be a cause. Also, repeated jumping from roosts higher than 18 inches could cause injury. I have some information on preventing bumblefoot that you might find helpful. I'll post the link when I find it. Good luck to you!
Here is the link to the bumblefoot information. http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000779_Rep800.pdf It mentions treatment with antibiotics, but most people on this site treat successfully without them. Do you have information on how to perform the surgery?

 

[Jeffross1968]

I have the surgery link bookmarked.

I think my roosts are right around 18 to 20 inches high, however, I have probably 8 inches of fresh, every other day mixed up pine shavings on the floor of the coop. I have a smaller coop that my chickens like to jump up on when they free range, and it's made of chicken wire. I wonder if that's where she got hurt...we do also have thorn bushes on the hill in front of our house, large thickets that I tried to remove in the spring, but it beat me. No way I'm getting rid of it all. I don't see them spending time in there, so not sure if that's what happened.

I searched a bit and didn't see alternatives to surgery...can you help with what that might entail?

 

[RhodeIslandRedFan]

I'll search and see what I can find.

Here's the link for the Tricide-Neo treatment thread. I had no luck soaking my hen's foot with this but others swear by it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=303829&p=1 I'll look for others.

Here's another treatment - post # 6 - no idea how this would work https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=259923

 

[Jeffross1968]

Everyone else agrees? Just want a couple more opinions before we cut into her....

 

[Animalian]

Personally I would only do one foot at a time. The bumble foot must hurt, but having it cut and bandaged would make it even more tender at first. I'd treat one foot, and when she starts favouring the operated on foot, I would treat the other one.

You would probably put her on antibiotocs anyway after cutting her, true? That would stop the un-operated foot getting any worse while the other heals a bit.

 

[Jeffross1968]

What anti biotics would work best, and is it something I can find at TSC?

 

[myfester]

I've had to perform "surgery" on one of my girls for bumblefoot. Other than being pretty gross to look at

while taking it out, it doesn't seem very stressful on the chicken to do it. She enjoyed the soaking in the Epson salt and once positioning her on her back on my lap, she stayed relaxed all the way thru. I think the hardest part of it is "breaking the seal" around the wound. I haven't figured out an easy way to do it, but once you do, a pair of surgical type tweezers (tweezers with a thin straight "grabber" vs. the slanted eyebrow tweezers) can grab it very nicely to pull out intact. Instead of Neosporin, I have a tea tree/eucalyptus ointment that I packed in the hole and put the bandage (as instructed in the instructions) and she was up and running right away. They seem to tolerate it well, so don't be afraid to cut it out. Good luck

 

[fishnet1971]

One foot looks a lot worse than the other. i would get on that one asap. I have recently tried everything for Bumblefoot on 4 of my girls. The only thing that i can figure out is that they are under a lot of pine trees most of the day and that dried pine needles pricked their foot. I did the tricidneo stuff and it did work on the early cases. I soaked the foot in epsom salt water for 10 minutes to clean and loosen up everything. Then I sat with her on my lap with her foot in the neo bath for about 15 - 20 minutes and let her soak. Took her out and let the foot dry for 20. I did this for a week every day. It did clear it up in 2 of the 4 girls. The 2nd one i had to soak, remove the scab (I could see the whole in the foot, just mushed it around and out came the pus. I used neosporin on a piece of small gauze, wrapped it and changed it everyday for a week. Took care of 1 of the 2.

the last one looked about like your bad foot. I did end up doing the surgery on her about two -three weeks ago. It really was easy to do. make sure you have everything right in front of you before you start. From the looks of your bad foot, it should just pop right out (the plug) if cut right and deep enough. After that comes out, you will have about 2-3 weeks of continused mush it around get more stuff, more neosporing and bandage. You will see a definite difference once you get all of it out. She will feel immediate relief once the plug is out and gone as well.

Go forth and de-bumble!!!!!

 

[kittycooks]

I am dealing with bumblefoot too. My county extension office recommended soaking in very warm water with ebsom salt or betadine and massaging for five days prior to the surgery as it seems to draw the infection toward the scab. My hens seem to like it, must feel good on their feet. Here are some pictures of our journey.