Does my Billie have bumble foot or is it just a callus? PICS

[GopherBoyFarms]

First off Billie doesnt think she is a chicken.....she thinks she is a puppy..or a toddler....she is a bearded white polish large fowl and is about 1.5 yrs old. We all tend to carry her around most of the time....if we dont we will be tripping over her. But she does sleep in the coop wit hthe flock, and free ranges with them all day (unless we are carrying her)
Today...she was snacking in the compost pile and her face/ beard/ and top hat where a muddy mess so I brought her in the house to wipe her face off with a wet cloth...I was checking out her little feet....I didnt notice any swelling but both feet had what looked like caked mud, callus, or maybe bumble foot. She isnt limping...and she is eating normal, so when I had her in the house i soaked her foot for a bit and (with gloves on) tried to pick of the "scab". It seemed to pain her. Now you see...Billie is a very special chicken. She almost always falls asleep as soon as you pick her up...she loves to be held, and if she isnt sleeping she will just relax and coo at you. So....I dont know if I should soak her foot longer and get the guts to pull the scab off...or if I should just let it be??? Right now she is in a nice pet taxi in my sons room having a nice long talk with him, and eating snacks.
Anyone have an idea???

Thanks....
And this is a chicken that if need be WILL go to a vet...but I am hoping it doesnt come to that.


~Tiff~

 

[Emzyyy]

Im not sure but it looks like Bumble. I've only seen it once.

 

[ScoobyRoo]

If it is bumble wouldn't it be swollen?? I just dealt with it for the last month. I was sure it was a thorn and (still may have been) but I finally pulled out a big plug.

She is no longer limping. I hope some one will be able to tell you what they think it is.
Good luck.

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, its bumblefoot. Believe me, I've seen it a hundred times and it presents a bit differently sometimes. Chickens do not normally have calluses on the feet, so if you see that, you have a plug. You should not use your fingers to pull at that since it's a staph infection. And you'll have to use an xacto knife to cut around the edge of that plug or just the top of it may come off and not the actual infection underneath.

 

[GopherBoyFarms]

Quote:
ok...so do I soak the foot...have a few stiff drinks and rip that "scab" off? then wrap her wee little foot and make her a diaper and keep her in the house till she is all better???

 

[speckledhen]

Soak it, clean the surface and the xacto with alcohol, wrap a towel around her middle so she can't flap her wings and just go around the edge of the plug with the xacto, then use tweezers to carefully pull the scab and underlying attached stuff out, soak her foot again with epsom salts or watered down iodine/betadine "tea" water, dry the foot, pack with triple antibiotic ointment, gauze pad over that, wrap with Vetwrap/stretch gauze (not tight, though), going between the toes and ending up around the ankle. Or you can use strips of sweatshirt material about 3/4"wide and at the ankle, wrap with first aid tape. Keep her out of the wet, maybe in a dog kennel, for three days or so, remove and replace the bandage. Do that every three days or so till it seems well.

 

[ScoobyRoo]

Quote:
Educate me speckledhen, My hen's foot was swollen with a plug and hers is not swollen. What does that mean? Also, I would like to know if I kept everything clean my other hens shouldn't get it? What about ducks, geese and turkys? Yes, I got carried away with these feathered, therapeutic animals (until you have to doctor something like this.) It takes FOREVER!! Thank you for being a great teacher! I have learned quite a bit in the past year and a lot more to learn I'm sure!

 

[GopherBoyFarms]

Quote:
Thanks for getting back to me on this...I will do what ever it takes for this little girl...husband and son both say....make her a house chicken (you cant help but fall in love with her).
I think for HER well-being I will tend to her feet...and baby her through her recovery..and let her decide where she wants to "hang" once she is mended.

Please people keep good thoughts for my special girl....she is one of a kind!!

~Tiff~

 

[ruth]

Henry'schickens :

Quote:
Educate me speckledhen, My hen's foot was swollen with a plug and hers is not swollen. What does that mean? Also, I would like to know if I kept everything clean my other hens shouldn't get it? What about ducks, geese and turkys? Yes, I got carried away with these feathered, therapeutic animals (until you have to doctor something like this.) It takes FOREVER!! Thank you for being a great teacher! I have learned quite a bit in the past year and a lot more to learn I'm sure!

Sometimes there's swelling in the pad; limping; or marble size swelling between the toes - any, all, or none of the above may be present but there is almost ALWAYS a black scab.

Of course, swelling and limping would tend to indicate the infection is spreading or affecting them in one way or another.

In the OP's original pics it looks like the initial layer of skin on the pad of the foot, all around the black scab, is already missing.​

 

[Emzyyy]

I didn't know it was staph infection. I didn't even know anything about Bumble Foot and my rooster got the exact same thing and I just pulled the thing off with my fingers and examined it and threw it away gross he's fine now it cleared up. How does it get in there?