[NickiWilliams]

 Hi, have noticed bumblefoot this morning in two of my girls.  Have bathed them thoroughly in highly salt water and Hibi scrub.  I've put them both in an old dog crate with fresh straw (not shavings) with a couple of low roosts and obviously plenty of food and water.  We're really wet and soggy here which won't have helped and its washed up lots of shingle and rocks.  Will monitor it very closely and clean thoroughly 3 times a day for the next couple of days. If its not considerably better by Tuesday then off to the vets with them!! 

In the interim, would welcome any other help, advice or home remedies. Have heard of people cleaning, lancing cleaning and then bandaging but thought would seek guideance before taking any drastic home surgery!

Thank you. Kindest regards. Nicki x

[manian]

it depends on the severity
I would spray with antibiotic spray, and bandage if bad.
its usually a staph infection and often from high roost bars (although are other causes as you have said)
lancing or cutting out any area if very bad may be an option if that bad
have you any photos
good luck

[NickiWilliams]

Hi one is as you can clearly see the 'spot' but the other isn't so think have caught that one early, as it just showing signs of holding up with a touch of sweling. I'm really cross with myself for not noticing it sooner. They're together in a massive dog crate, which is still in the chicken shed so that they're not on their own and the others keep popping to say hello!

Might think about how to lower the rest of their roots, although they've been at the same height since we've had the girls (nearly 4 years) and this is our first case(s) No pics I'm afraid its with the two wriggliest and most difficult to catch girls! You could have picked any one of the others, even the roosters, and it would have been better!! Will keep very clean and reduce their access to hard, wet, muddy ground.  Will see how we go tomorrow and then maybe think about lancing. Its mortifying when any of our animals are poorley.

Thank you again for your advice    Thank you for keeping all crossed and will let you know how they go.

Kindest regards. Nicki x

[chrismahon]

Hi Nicki. We keep our roosts to 18" maximum and the bigger older birds to 12" maximum.
 
We've had loads of Bumblefoot despite that because the ground is a brownfield site and full of broken glass and old nails. Several of the bumblefoots (and we had two on one hen) have got a fungal infection or growth in them. Best described as a verruca with roots growing in the pad. Many we have cut and pulled out, bandaged with teatree cream and steristrip. Only one very bad one needed a second treatment as I didn't get all of the root out. All healed well and after 6 months were invisible.
 
Its a very fine fiddly job with a tiny modelling knife. Definately a two person job. If it's just an infection lancing it takes the pressure out and cream aids the healing process. The vet would flush it out properly and that's probably the route to take to be safest. We've only had it with Wyandottes on permanent runs. The others moved around on grass have been fine.

[jaykay]

Dad's birds sometimes get them, fingers crossed mine generally don't.


I lance them, flush with salty water and then spray inside with antibiotic spray. Keep in clean, dry ground til mended. Easier with chooks than ducks!

[NickiWilliams]

Hi, thanks again for your help and advice. The roosts are there or there abouts between 15-18" and whilst there is additional shelving left in there from the previous owners its very rare that any of them use it, however have taken all that down today - just to be sure.  Having never had a case in 4 years, 2 together on the same day is - well, its just chickens I guess.  They're still quite happy, eating and drinking and have bathed and cleaned and have latherd everything that's not featherd with antisceptic spray and cream with t-tree, aloe and witch hazel.

If they're not considerably better first thing tomorrow then will be a double lancing - have only just got my mare right from a series of tooth absess and my gelding from a punctured sole so a little chicken surgery and a good old fashioned flushing isn't an issue, although it is, somewhat on a smaller scale!! Will let you know how it goes. I'm guessing that it won't be pretty with infection and blood, would that be normal?

Thank you, all, again for taking the time to comment.

Kindest regards. Nicki x

[Rosemary]

We had one once. Took it to the vet - he said he could operate at £30 or give it an antibiotic. I thought he was having a laugh. Took the antibiotic and she got better for a bit, then died. That was the first and last bird tto the vet.

[NickiWilliams]

Rosemary, hear you on the vets. Seriously? That has got to be a joke?!!! After some recent, shocking, exeriences I now challenge, question and qualify everything twice over.  Hope you've had a great bank holiday weekend? 

[chrismahon]

You won't have blood Nicki, unless you slip with the scalpel. Its been a thick yellow goo when we've had it which is very carefully scraped out. The fungus is the same colour but solid and smells of 'atheletes foot'.

[NickiWilliams]

Hi Chris, thank you for this. I cut the 'veruca' out this morning and it sort of came out like a plug but in two parts - there was only the tiniest pit of blood. Given what you've said, not sure that I got it all out so will continue to keep clean, bathing, soaking and plastering in antisceptic for the next couple of days and check again shortly.  Given the recent issues with the horses, was expecting massive amounts of pus, gunk and generally a hissing mess but no such thing! The leg and claw swelling has gone down, but not vanished entirely, and she's much happier in herself, even laid an egg today in her sick bed!

My other lovely girl has a big old swollen toe, rather than a 'veruca' in the pad of her claw and as yet can't see that coming to a head - but she's much more weight bearing and less 'bumbly' today too

Not tempting fate or out of the woods yet, but things are looking as if they are headed in the right direction. Does this sound about right to you?

[chrismahon]

Certainly sounds right to me Nicki. Hopefully it will heal up and the hen's system will remove any left. Need to check it over the next few days as you intend to and keep it bandaged until healed completely -about a week. Check her again in a month. It won't be until then you know if it has grown again or gone completely. The one we had to do twice had it initially so bad her foot was twice the size and it took half an hour to get all the stuff out. At the second visit it had healed and her foot was nearly the right size but there was a newscab on the outside. The 'thing' was growing up her leg and I pulled a root out the size of a maggot!

[NickiWilliams]

Chris, that's such a relief!! Thank you.

[NickiWilliams]

Just wanted to say thank you for all your help and advice, one lovely girl is all mended and the other is very much on the mend - the elephantchickenleg is almost back to normal.  First two lancing operations obviously worked!! Have a great weekend all :-) Kindest regards. Nic x