What is this on my hen's leg? HELP!!!

[jayde88]

Right above my hen's foot her leg appears to be all swelled up. She's 5 years old and has had it for at least 2 or 3 years. I always thought it was a deformaty or something, it just occured to me that it might be something more.
Here are some pictures:

She is a red rock cross. She seems to eat alot and be active enough, but she mostly tends to stay inside on the roost with some of the other elderly hens. She isn't limping, but she walks pretty slowly and doesn't run alot. I've never seen the thing on her foot bleeding that I can remember but that doesn't mean it never did (I'm afraid I'm not very observant). We have straw bedding.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Brindlebtch]

Oh wow. That looks pretty alarming.

The veterans need to weigh in on this.

 

[HippieChickens]

.

 

[TheDuckCrew]

yikes!! i agree, we need the veterans on this one!

 

[pipermark]

has had it for at least 2 or 3 years

If that has been there for 2 or 3 years it is not an infection. The hen would be dead. Bumble foot is a staff infection, the hen would be really dead.

If its been there for 2 or 3 years, given the life expectancy of the average chicken, I would not bother with it unless it appears the hen is in pain. Then I would either bring it to a vet or do the other merciful thing.​

 

[jayde88]

Thanks everyone for your help! I would bring her to the vet, but I don't know of any vets around where I live that do chickns. Plenty of cat and dog vets but no chicken vets.

Is there anything I can do at home to help her?
And, is this thing, whatever it is, contagious?

Hippiechicken, well, she's had it for 2 or 3 years and is not crippled... I've noticed it is a little bigger than it used to be but that might just be me. Thanks!

Pipermark, thanks! Then, it's not bumblefoot or an infection *phew*

Thanks again, everyone!

 

[For-The-Love-Of-Chickens]

Now that is a sad little foot. No I don't think it is bumblefoot. It might be an infection.

 

[For-The-Love-Of-Chickens]

I'm sorry for the last post. My ten year old son has been giving out advice.

 

[JennsPeeps]

It looks like a benign growth (malignant would probably have killed her by now). Poor girl. What does it feel like: hard, soft, squishy, etc?

 

[jayde88]

Quote:
Thank you! On the back of her foot especially, where it is more puffed up, it soft and a little squishy. Thanks again!

For The Love of Chickens, that's okay!