Caring for Salmon Faverolles with Chronic Bumblefoot | A Journal with Pictures

[awagnon]

Thank you so very much for this information! It really helps to know what brand you tried! I will look into getting this. I really want to try it!

In the meantime, before I get it ordered and it arrives, the Lord provided some Colloidal silver that my Grandmom already had! I was telling her about Brie and your suggestion of using Colloidal silver. She got really excited when she realized she already had some, and ran into the other room to get it for me! I am so thankful God provided it. I already put some on her foot when I treated her today.
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The Nutri-Drench arrived as well! We gave her some today. She's been doing okay for now. Here she is resting outside on a bar:
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I have never used that brand so I can't say one way or the other if it will help. I do know that it can expire so depending on how old that bottle is, it may or may not do anything. Won't hurt tho. I would put a couple drops in her water also. Be sure and shake it well before you use it. Our God is a GREAT One for sure!

While I don't advocate giving essential oils orally, you can also get some good anti bacterial benefits if you have an oregano plant and can get her to eat a few leaves. She may get some beneficial antibacterial properties from that. I have a medicinal herb garden just for my girls. They LOVE herbs. I planted it just outside their run and they munch on it from time to time. Like I said, my girl's bumble foot did not budge after a certain point until I tackled it internally as well as externally at the same time.

 

[Elspeth Dinsmore]

I have never used that brand so I can't say one way or the other if it will help. I do know that it can expire so depending on how old that bottle is, it may or may not do anything. Won't hurt tho. I would put a couple drops in her water also. Be sure and shake it well before you use it. Our God is a GREAT One for sure!

That is very good to know! I looked at the one my Grandmom gave me. It didn't have an expiration date on it. It is likely old since it was given to her by a friend.
My mom just ordered the Sovereign Silver Colloidal Silver and Vetericyn. We are so thankful for your help! It saved us so much time to know which one you used!
I'm thankful we have the one from my Grandmom until the new one arrives.
We gave her two drops orally today in addition to the drops I put directly on her foot.

While I don't advocate giving essential oils orally, you can also get some good anti bacterial benefits if you have an oregano plant and can get her to eat a few leaves. She may get some beneficial antibacterial properties from that. I have a medicinal herb garden just for my girls. They LOVE herbs. I planted it just outside their run and they munch on it from time to time.

I took Brie out to eat herbs in my garden like you suggested! She wasn't all that interested in it at the moment, but she gave the Oregano and Rosemary a few pecks. I will try to give her some fresh leaves again tomorrow.

That is so awesome you have herbs for them outside your run! That must be so healthy and good for them. I like to feed my chickens my leftover basil and oregano leaves -- especially when the plants go to flower.

Like I said, my girl's bumble foot did not budge after a certain point until I tackled it internally as well as externally at the same time.

That makes a lot of sense. We have been trying to help her internally too. Thanks for all the time you have taken to help us!

 

[Pip and Pop]

I am so sorry you are having such a stubborn bought of bumblefoot with your birds, on a strange note, I'm kind of excited I found this thread. I have 4 salmon faverolles and have been battling bumblefoot with 3 of them almost the same timeline as you have been. I feel like I have tried EVERYTHING (salves, poultices, minor surgeries, etc.) and I still can't seem to kick it. Their feet get kind of better then seem to just plateau. I feel so bad continuing to pester their poor feet.

It's nice to see that one of your girls finally made a recovery, I'm holding out hope that I will get their with mine.

 

[Elspeth Dinsmore]

I am so sorry you are having such a stubborn bought of bumblefoot with your birds, on a strange note, I'm kind of excited I found this thread. I have 4 salmon faverolles and have been battling bumblefoot with 3 of them almost the same timeline as you have been. I feel like I have tried EVERYTHING (salves, poultices, minor surgeries, etc.) and I still can't seem to kick it. Their feet get kind of better then seem to just plateau. I feel so bad continuing to pester their poor feet.

It's nice to see that one of your girls finally made a recovery, I'm holding out hope that I will get their with mine.

I'm sorry to take so long to get back to you!
We have had quite the busy couple of weeks here.

I am sorry to hear you have been dealing with bumblefoot as well. It is not fun when you see your birds in pain. Sounds like you have been working hard to take care of them and help them!

I am very glad that my thread may be of some help and encouragement to others. That was my goal!

Unfortunately, Debbi went downhill again. I made the mistake of removing the wraps before her feet had hardened up again. The skin was still soft from all the soaks and salves. I am hopeful that I may be able to get Debbi back to health quicker than before with the information I have learned over time.

I performed surgery on her and Mari today. I believe I removed almost all of the infection! At some point when I have time, I will update on everything going on with them.

I hope you have a nice day. I'll be praying that your hens heal well!

 

[Goldendreams]

┈┉─━⊰ Update #11 ⊱━─┉┈​

Brie has gotten worse. She is not doing well currently. Can any experienced chicken keepers help me?

Today marks 100 days since I started treating Brie for bumblefoot. I have spent a huge amount of time taking care of her. I have also put in a lot of effort researching the best way to help her.

About 6 weeks ago some of our chickens went into shock after de-worming. Ms. Azygous rescued us and our chickens! The four that were doing the worst (and that we brought inside to monitor), have recovered and are in great health! Brie has never quite been the same since that time. She wasn't doing poor enough to be brought inside like the other four chickens, but she was one of the worst of the ones that remained outside. She also began going through a soft-molt after that. She lost 14 oz. in weight. We noticed that she had stopped eating much during the day (empty crop at night when on the roost bar), and began bringing her inside at nighttime to offer her food. I gave her a large variety of things to eat. I was surprised how much of an appetite she had. She regained 4-6 oz. in weight. A couple days ago, she ate the most I had seen her eat in a while. Then the next two days she just stopped wanting much food. Eventually, we decided she needed to be tube-fed. My sister and I are spending large amounts of time making sure she gets the care and nutrients she needs (Since we are new to tube-feeding, it takes us a lot of time.)

I know that sometimes tube feeding only extends the life of a dying chicken unnecessarily. I would not be tube-feeding her if I thought that was the case. My current thought is that there are too many problems at the same time for her little body to handle (bumblefoot, de-worming, molt, respiratory issues [healed now], & high temperatures outside). If I can just tube-feed her through the worst of it, maybe her body will recover enough to get better the rest of the way on her own. I have hope for her. Here are the things I have noticed that are good:

• She spends all day and night outside with the other chickens.
• She loves to free range with the other chickens.
• She follows them around the yard and eats bugs she finds.
• She still drinks water.
• She still makes some noises.
• She jumps to the top roost bar at night.
• If the top hen or my little dog get too close to her, she gives a slow and polite peck to say, "Please let me peck around in this area." (Sadie is the top hen. I think she is trying to train Brie to give little pecks so Brie can eat without being pushed away.)
• She likes to hop on my lap or shoulder to sit.
• She is curious. Although slower than the others, she follows around and stays with them.
• When she is sitting, her eyes are open, and she looks around at everything going on about her.
• She is growing lots of new feathers.

I think all these things say that she isn't doing so poor that I need to let her go.

Here are the concerning things:

• Her bumblefoot will not heal.
• She has lost weight (Although, she has gained that little bit back).
• She has an empty crop every night before we feed her.
• She lays around more than the other chickens.
• She is more quiet than the others.
• Her eyes look a little sunken.
• She is not laying eggs (This hasn't happened for over a month).
• If other chickens come close to her (no mean pecks or anything bad going on), she often gives them whatever she was pecking at.
• She has a very low appetite. Before a couple days ago, if I continued to put food in front of her face, she would eat it. Although she quickly lost interest, and I would need to re-put the food in front of her face again. Any little distraction, like noise or movement, and she would just stop eating what I was giving her.

Here are some pictures of her and her face. These were taken within the last few days. I know she is missing a wrap in the second picture. I had run out of the wrap that sticks well, so I needed to use a different one that ended up falling off. I have since re-wrapped it.
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(First Four Pictures Courtesy Of @Tiffany Wikk.)

Currently, Brie's feet are not healing. Her right foot is producing a massive amount of pus every 1-5 days. If I could measure, I think it would be about 1/2 tsp -1 tsp. Her foot will close up with cheesy yellow tissue which I remove. When I poke it, pus will erupt from the wound. I continue to massage and more will flow from it. I have seen all sorts of colors: clear, white, creamy, yellow, & the latest one - pink. There has been thick pus and watery pus. All of it is a liquid consistency though.
I have seen so many different types of tissues in her foot: healthy tissue, bloody tissue, stringy white tissue, clumpy white tissue, thick yellow sheets, yellow globs, & hard black scabs. I have seen red bruises and green bruises at points. Sometimes, her foot get hot and red. Other times it is not.
Her right foot has been swollen ever since May 23rd when I applied NU Stock to her foot, and her foot reacted horribly to it.
Her left foot has a thick dark scab that, if removed, bleeds profusely and seems to have regular tissue underneath.
The biggest concern is that despite my attempts to keep the foot clean, pus is reforming inside of her foot at a fast rate. To make it worse, the pus was pink last night. I know I have removed the core/plug before and don't see anything that looks like another one currently. I remove the scabs regularly. She has never had a good, healthy, yellow scab, or I wouldn't have removed it. I have already performed surgery on her foot and gone as deep as I dare. Yet, there is clearly still something very wrong.
Here are photos of her foot:View attachment 3900306
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Here are some photos after the initial swelling when it was at its worst (NU Stock), but before this latest swelling from the pus. It was at it's best during these photos:
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Here are some of the things I have attempted at various points. If I didn't see improvement, I would switch and keep trying different things. Sometimes it goes down a little, and I am encouraged by progress. Other times, it seems to swell back again.

Salves & Ointments	Disinfectants & Cleaners	Treatments	Supplements & Herbs (Administered Orally)
Prid	Povodone-Iodine	Warm Epsom Salt Soak	Calcium Citrate & D3 (Infrequently, since she is not laying.)
Durvet Epsom Salt Poultice	Banixx	Cold Epsom Salt Soak	Braunschweiger (for Vitamin A)
Icthamol	Dawn Dish Soap	Warm Epsom Salt & Oregano Oil Soak	Homegrown Oregano
NU Stock (Horrible Reaction)	Saline Flush	Gauze Squares and Wraps (She always has these on. Replaced every 1-5 days)	Homegrown Basil
Triple Antibiotic Ointment (No-Pain Killer)	Epsom Salt & Oregano Oil Spray	Warm Compresses and Dawn	Homegrown Thyme
Sugardine		Surgery	Homegrown Rosemary
Raw Unfiltered Honey		Frequent Removal of Superficial Infected Tissues	Fresh Garlic
Homemade Salve with Oregano Oil		Scab Removal	Poultry Cell
Bag Balm

I have ordered Nutri-drench and am planning to start giving that to her soon.

It concerns me that she is not eating well on top of the bumblefoot problems. Can any experienced chicken keepers help me? I love her so very much. I don't want to lose her.

Soli Deo Gloria

I had a duck everyone bought once and hated it. It had no immunity to bumblefoot at all. This looks spreadable. Some things are better to let go and stop wasting our time.