What injury does my new adopted hen have?

[ChellyRod]

I agree with others I think bumble foot and scaly leg mites. They are both relatively easy to treat. If you want to try yourself, soak her legs in warm water with Epsom salts for 10-15 minutes to make it easier to pick the scab off. Squeeze and get puss out (the puss will be hard rather than runny like humans get) make sure you wear gloves. Put an antibiotic cream on and wrap the foot, changing the dressing every couple of days until healed. As for the scaly leg mite, again soak her legs in warm Epsom salt bath. With a very soft tooth brush clean her legs, dry and and lather in vasoline. Do this every couple days until her scales look normal

Okay!! I think ill do her bumble foot tomorrow. Once healed, ill do her mites. Thank you so much! Also, would you happen to know if I pack in some gauze into the hole where her bumblefoot would have been (once removed)? I know some human surgeries require it to drain fluid. I thought to ask in case

 

[ChellyRod]

Here is a great video on treating bumblefoot - you can find PRID at Walmart usually. Remember- you can ALWAYS do 'surgery' later- why not try the most conservative approach first … either way you'll need vetwrap, gauze, non-stick pad, Neosporin (original only, no "pain relief" formulas) -- very nice to have - Vetricyn for poultry.

Thanks! I see where both in Portland! Nice to see a neighbor haha Also, could you tell me if the thing on the top of her foot is also a bumblefoot? The thing that looks like a tough spot or callus? And is the pad on the bottom of her foot the bumble? or is it the callus looking thing near her heel?

 

[Shezadandy]

Thanks! I see where both in Portland! Nice to see a neighbor haha Also, could you tell me if the thing on the top of her foot is also a bumblefoot? The thing that looks like a tough spot or callus? And is the pad on the bottom of her foot the bumble? or is it the callus looking thing near her heel?

Hey! Fellow Portlander!

It could be a previous bumblefoot (they can happen in the toes too) that exploded up and down, and those are the scars - or it closed up and was still infected inside.

It could also be an old injury where the hen stepped on something that went THROUGH her foot - from the pictures, that occurred to me. There doesn't seem to be any issue with the pad of her foot- just that odd spot on the heel that seems to extend up to that weird spot by her toes.

I'd go with a good Epsom salt soak- then you can kinda play with it and see if it loosens. If you do the PRID, it will need to be wrapped. What that does is gets any infection to come to a point near the skin so it can be removed.

I've definitely seen PRID at Walmart- just look online and see if your nearest store sells it. Pick up some gauze (narrow kind) and some "no-stick" pads which will be for after it opens up - that's where you'll pack it with Neosporin, cover the hole (but not putting the gauze into the hole- just the Neosporin) then gauze, then vetwrap--

I love having small Fiskar curved scissors - makes it SO much easier to change the bandages because the blade faces away from the leg but they're still nice and sharp and easy to control.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Fiskars-4-Orange-Curved-Scissors-Right-Left-Handed-Use/34932916

I like to have the saline wound-cleaner that comes in a blue bottle for flushing things once they've been opened up --- and at either Wilco or Coastal you'll find vetwrap if you don't have some.

Choose a boring color of vetwrap so the other chickens leave it alone. No red or pink.

Cut Vetwrap into 3/4"-1" wide strips that are around 12-15" long un-stretched- this takes very sharp scissors, so if you don't have any, I would buy a pair.

OK- if you're using PRID, apply with gloves to both sides of the weird areas- then apply gauze. To keep a "boot" on the foot, you'll kinda paper-mache the vetwrap on. I usually start with a couple of wraps around her lower leg, then I start working in between the toes and over the bottom pad and so-on. I usually use 3-5 strips before it's all said and done, with care that it's not too tight- give it a day or two, unwrap, have another look - feel free to wash it, soak with Epsom salts again-- see if anything looks like it's starting to swell up to the surface if you used the PRID. That's what it's supposed to do.

Hopefully just having it wrapped will help her mobility.

 

[ChellyRod]

Hey! Fellow Portlander!

It could be a previous bumblefoot (they can happen in the toes too) that exploded up and down, and those are the scars - or it closed up and was still infected inside.

It could also be an old injury where the hen stepped on something that went THROUGH her foot - from the pictures, that occurred to me. There doesn't seem to be any issue with the pad of her foot- just that odd spot on the heel that seems to extend up to that weird spot by her toes.

I'd go with a good Epsom salt soak- then you can kinda play with it and see if it loosens. If you do the PRID, it will need to be wrapped. What that does is gets any infection to come to a point near the skin so it can be removed.

I've definitely seen PRID at Walmart- just look online and see if your nearest store sells it. Pick up some gauze (narrow kind) and some "no-stick" pads which will be for after it opens up - that's where you'll pack it with Neosporin, cover the hole (but not putting the gauze into the hole- just the Neosporin) then gauze, then vetwrap--

I love having small Fiskar curved scissors - makes it SO much easier to change the bandages because the blade faces away from the leg but they're still nice and sharp and easy to control.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Fiskars-4-Orange-Curved-Scissors-Right-Left-Handed-Use/34932916

I like to have the saline wound-cleaner that comes in a blue bottle for flushing things once they've been opened up --- and at either Wilco or Coastal you'll find vetwrap if you don't have some.

Choose a boring color of vetwrap so the other chickens leave it alone. No red or pink.

Cut Vetwrap into 3/4"-1" wide strips that are around 12-15" long un-stretched- this takes very sharp scissors, so if you don't have any, I would buy a pair.

OK- if you're using PRID, apply with gloves to both sides of the weird areas- then apply gauze. To keep a "boot" on the foot, you'll kinda paper-mache the vetwrap on. I usually start with a couple of wraps around her lower leg, then I start working in between the toes and over the bottom pad and so-on. I usually use 3-5 strips before it's all said and done, with care that it's not too tight- give it a day or two, unwrap, have another look - feel free to wash it, soak with Epsom salts again-- see if anything looks like it's starting to swell up to the surface if you used the PRID. That's what it's supposed to do.

Hopefully just having it wrapped will help her mobility.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! You helped a ton! Ill write down some of this stuff to have with me tomorrow. Ill try to fix her up tomorrow as soon as possible. Thanks again!