what is wrong with this chicken foot? Pictures attached

[cmaranhao]

just saw this chicken has a very swollen foot. what is wrong with it and what should I do?

 

[coach723]

That is bumblefoot. I have circled the scab/lesion below. You will need to soak the foot in epsom salts for 20 to 30 minutes to soften the scab for removal, then remove any pus from beneath it. You may have to do some pretty firm squeezing to get it all out. Chicken pus is firm like a hard cheese or curd like not runny like human pus. It all has to be gotten out for the foot to heal. Then fill the hole with plain neosporin or plain triple antibiotic ointment, cover with a gauze or non-stick telfa pad and wrap with co wrap or vet wrap. You will need to change the bandage a reapply the ointment daily until it's healing well, then you can change every other or every 3 days as necessary. It will need to be kept clean and dry until it's healed up.
If soaking doesn't soften it enough for removal you can apply decolorized iodine (not the same as betadine - any pharmacy will have in the first aid aisle) and wrap overnight and that usually softens it up well.
https://www.tillysnest.com/2015/12/non-surgical-bumblefoot-treatment.html/?spref=pi

 

[coach723]

Sorry, forgot to attach the circled picture, here it is.

 

[Aunt Angus]

That looks like bumblefoot to me. And it looks pretty bad, too. Poor thing. Do a BYC search for bumblefoot treatment. It requires minor surgery, which I've done a couple of times now.

I'm not an expert by any means, but here's what I've done. A search will likely give you more info. I soak the foot in a warm epsom bath to loosen up the scab/soften the foot pad. Then I remove the scab carefully so as not to hurt any healthy tissue. I've had luck so far just squeezing out the pus underneath, but some ppl have to cut it or dig it out. Then I clean out the area with saline, spray it with vetericyn, pack it with antibiotic ointment, cover it in gauze, and wrap the foot with vet wrap. I check it every day and change out the dressing.

My girls have always recovered well with persistence, but your bird may need antibiotics, too.

Hopefully, others will come along to help. @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive are my go to BYCers for help (I'm forgetting someone, I know...)

 

[cmaranhao]

ok, so I have soaked it in hot (but bearable) water to soften it up.

I removed the outer "shell" but did not venture inside due to being afraid to harm it. please take a look:

shall I dig in deeper? how? I removed the outer shell with my nail (was wearing one glove). as you can see from the picture it has something like an inner shell, yellowish, hard like a callus. if I was 100% sure I would have also removed it but did not wanted to risk this without more knowledge. since I am doing this on my own, I used the towel to settle the bird but only one hand is not easy. do you use any tools to aid with the removal of that piece of meat?

If I need to dig, I will do it tomorrow to let the bird settle for a bit. I used betadine afterwards and human ointment to help it recover.

anyway, the other foot also has something similar underneath but it is not swollen. do I also need to remove it?

I have never seen my birds feet with this detail until now.

 

[coach723]

Top picture looks like there is pus that needs to come out, that creamy yellow/white stuff. Squeezing may be enough to get it to loosen and pop out. May take some manipulation to get it started. You may need to soak more than once. I also, on occasion, use an instrument like this to dig stuff out, it's not really sharp, just scoops like a spoon:

You can get one on Amazon (curette).
The bottom foot looks like bumblefoot that is not as far along. I personally would remove the scab and clean it up and wrap just like the other, but since there is not any swelling there you can try just treating that one topically and wrapping for a while to see if it resolves. Sometimes the small ones will resolve that way, but it takes time.

 

[cmaranhao]

but how do I know if I am removing what needs to be removed? do you really think I need to dig more and get all of the yellowish stuff out?

 

[coach723]

I do think you need to remove the yellow stuff. These might help. Sometimes the stuff will pop out with pressure and manipulation. You might have to squeeze fairly hard. Sometimes you need to dig it out. Every foot is a bit different. The healthy tissue will be pink, and may bleed a little. These might help, with pictures. You can google for a lot more:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bumblefoot-surgery-with-pics-and-how-to.236649/
https://cluckin.net/bumblefoot-in-chickens-the-risks-treatment-and-prevention.html
http://www.kittycooks.com/bumblefoot-in-chickens.html

 

[Aunt Angus]

You gotta get the infection out or it will get worse.

I'm sorry... I know it's scary. You don't want to hurt your chicken. I was really afraid to dig in, too. And my girl bled... a lot. And I don't doubt it hurt her. But I also know it's what helped heal her. You can do this! And if you feel you can't, see if there is someone who can help.

 

[Aunt Angus]

And keep in mind it will take a long time to resolve. Weeks.

I'll say it again: You got this! It's hard the first time around, but once you do it, you'll be much better equipped to deal with other chicken-related illnesses/injuries. I promise!