Farm Bumblefoot

[thorr]

Hey chicken people,
In the last few weeks I’ve gotten quite the lesson in bumblefoot. It started 3 weeks ago with one hen and she is I believe and pray is on the mend.
I’ll post pictures.
It was quite the textbook bumble, once the black bumble scab was freed, it lifted out as one piece.
We are perched on the side of a mountain that’s main crop is rocks...
And they free range for a couple hours each evening if weather permits. So tough and healthy feet are needed.
My question is now that I check all their feet, we have maybe another bumblefoot beginning. She holds it up occasionally. It’s swollen some and has a head/scab.
Gently removed the scab tonight after a good epson salt soak. Got a drop of puss and no real yellow looking bumblefoot. I’m treating after the soak with vet spray and antibiotic salve.
I love my birds and have no desire to hurt them in anyway, but I also want them comfortable and healthy. My question is I if the swelling stays and she’s still limping, should I lance the side of the swollen pad? Can’t feel a kennel. They both are getting a 15-30 epson soak at least once a day.
Who knew for a 12 dollar bird.
Thanks, Mark

 

[thorr]

The bucket is my chicken soaking bucket. Beats the heck out of holding them in a dish...
And I think they like the soak. Silly birds......

 

[thorr]

This is the original girl, we call her girlfriend because she’s super friendly.
I had a mix of golden comets and Americana’s. Sold the americanas and waiting for pick up day of 6 more pullets of golden comets.
The americanas were not great producers and were very standoffish.
The comets are great egg layers and love being around us.
Started a limited free range each evening and they immediately come up to the workshop and patio.
Anywho, here’s a picture of girlfriend 3 weeks after bumble removal...
Thanks again, Mark

 

[ioujc]

Looks like you are doing an EXCELLENT job of being a compassionate and responsible chicken owner!!

LOVE your chicken soaker!!! VERY SMART IDEA!!

None of my Chickies have ever gotten this and I hope they never do!!! It looks PAINFUL!!

 

[JMG91]

Her foot looks great! And that bucket is an awesome idea! Thank you for that! I have always just held them over a dish--how annoying. I don't know what you used to cut the bumblefoot out with, but I generally keep a scalpel with replaceable blades on hand for such thing always. It's a LOT easier to always have a perfectly sharp blade if you need to do minor surgery.

 

[thorr]

The bucket and wrapping them gently in a towel has been a big help.
We use a surgical kit, scalpel and tweezers.
A little nerve racking at first, a video said to constantly talk to your bird, just so you remember to breathe.
We’re soaking ever night and twice on weekend days. We’re on week three so slowly getting knowledge.
The first girl had a nasty case, now we have two that have mild bumblefoot.
Trying to just soak, remove scab, try to get discharge, soak more, spray, antibiotic salve and bandage..
They’re not getting worse or really better. I did hear that instead of lancing below the scab that a person could just use a needle and try that way to remove infection.
Thanks for your reply..
Mark

 

[JMG91]

The bucket and wrapping them gently in a towel has been a big help.
We use a surgical kit, scalpel and tweezers.
A little nerve racking at first, a video said to constantly talk to your bird, just so you remember to breathe.
We’re soaking ever night and twice on weekend days. We’re on week three so slowly getting knowledge.
The first girl had a nasty case, now we have two that have mild bumblefoot.
Trying to just soak, remove scab, try to get discharge, soak more, spray, antibiotic salve and bandage..
They’re not getting worse or really better. I did hear that instead of lancing below the scab that a person could just use a needle and try that way to remove infection.
Thanks for your reply..
Mark

I usually wait until it's advanced enough to appear through the toes. That may sound cruel, but it's easier on both bird and owner. The infection will have completely hardened by then, and I'm typically able to cut it out, spray the wound with Vetericyn, and keep an eye on it, spraying it with the wound care spray every other day or so--usually, no more than twice. I even let them out with everyone else. I just make sure to wrap the foot really well with vet wrap so that it doesn't get dirt or other nasties in there.

Waiting until the whole infection is kernelled allows you to be less invasive during the procedures.

 

[thorr]

The bird that is limping has just a scab bumble, hasn’t really gotten better or worse.
I will say the black bumblefoot scab, once I cut/lifted the edges, it come out as a big kennel. I’m still soaking and treating the three girls nightly. If I remove the scab I don’t really get anything. Can’t feel anything in the swollen bumble.
Tonight I was going to soak the limping girl for a little while longer than usual. Then use a hollow needle to see if I can get any drainage.
So it seems like this doesn’t fix itself and there is no magic cure.
I’m using the vetericyn spray, antibiotic salve, gauze and vet wrap.
I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge with me.
Thanks, Mark

 

[thorr]

Question if you don’t mind. So the girls with a swollen pad and small scab. Are they pretty sure to get bumblefoot?
Thanks again....

 

[JMG91]

Question if you don’t mind. So will the girls with a swollen pad and small scab. Are they pretty sure to get bumblefoot?
Thanks again....

Honestly, I usually just leave those ones alone, if it's not going to correct itself, eventually, it will swell to the point of either sticking through their toes or obviously affecting their walk. Like I said above, I typically wait until the scab is a pretty significant size because it's easier to treat that way. Usually, when the scab is as small as the one in your picture, it's difficult to work with because any infection in there is still in what I call the 'cheesy' stage, which is significantly harder to deal with. I've tried treating them at that stage before, but you really can't pull the stuff out with tweezers, and it generally won't squeeze out.

At this point, I would simply give their feet one more good spray with the antimicrobial stuff you've got, put some sort of healing ointment on it--I use Lucas' Paw Paw, but antibiotic ointment work fine as well--wrap up their feet well, and let them out. Just keep an eye on them, make sure their bandages aren't getting too nasty, and check their feet every other day or so and change out the bandage.

Edit: I just re-read your second to last post. If you've already gotten the kernel out, the foot may just need to heal up. I wouldn't worry about soaking it unless the foot has gotten nasty since the last time you checked it.

 

[thorr]

Thanks for this. Not easy stumbling through the web on a subject you know nothing of.
We have had our birds for 18 months or so and three weeks ago was the first time I had heard the term bumblefoot....
Thanks

 

[JMG91]

Thanks for this. Not easy stumbling through the web on a subject you know nothing of.
We have had our birds for 18 months or so and three weeks ago was the first time I had heard the term bumblefoot....
Thanks

No problem! Trust me, I know exactly how you feel! The first time I did bumblefoot surgery was back when I was a teenager and still living with my mom. We were both muttering and freaking out the entire time we did it. And there's always new things to learn. If you ever have any other questions, feel free to PM me! Happy to help any way I can!

 

[Walrus Whisperer]

Question if you don’t mind. So the girls with a swollen pad and small scab. Are they pretty sure to get bumblefoot?
Thanks again....

That's already a bumblefoot.

 

[thorr]

I agree... the hard part is what to do next. I’ve done the soak and scab removal. Not worth the surgery. Barely get any infection.
As JMG said above, it’s all cheesy and hard to remove. I’m going with if they’re bodies are fighting the infection I’ll keep an eye on them. If no limping or such, we’re going to wait till the horrid black bumblefoot appears. It was much easier to remove and she’s made a splendid recovery.
I appreciate any and all wisdom I get on this.
Thanks, Mark

 

[Walrus Whisperer]

A bumblefoot is their body trying to wall off the infection. I never had much luck just gouging the core of them out. Usually I used a fresh xacto, the longish pointy kind. The only one that really seemed like it healed well was one that I cut the whole bumble in thirds, strait down toward top of the foot. Coming from the bottom of their foot, not from above. There will be blood. Gouged and scraped all I could. Dump iodine all around. If there's a core, get all you can out of it. Liberal on the iodine. This is the iodine that comes in a small bottle with applicator.
Your girl will struggle, if you devise a way to make it dark for her, there's more quiet. A sock toe makes it dark so she will likely be quiet. A small clip in the sock for her beak to be out.
Have tshirt cotton strips maybe an inch wide. strips need to be made with stretchy like t shirt fabric, it conforms better than regular cotton woven. Then wrap that thing up. They need to be sequestered alone in a place. I would cut up long strips of Tshirt fabric that made good wraps for most anything chicken.
A good way to hood a chicken is the toe end of a used sock, it has to come down at least about halfway down their neck, determine where the hole for beak, just a snip, just enough, so they don't feel they are smothering.
I would cut strips of Tshirt cotton for various use with the girls, some wider, some not as wide. I used these for wrapping the treated foot and would make sure the tie part was in the back of their leg.
A whole kids t-shirt can sometimes work on holding the wings down, the size has to be right, though.
The farther up the leg you go with the final wrapping, the less likely she will be able to get it loose. She will certainly have her own opinions on how much you are messing up her feathers!

If you don't want a chicken looking at you while you kill her, make a hood with a snip in it for the beak so they don't feel like they are smothering.
A trip to just about any thrift store will get you the supplies of small tshirts for this purpose. Big ones can be for cutting into strips.