Hen with thorn in foot in between toes

[Lakemuse.com]

My dad bought a hen today and it has what looks like a huge thorn lodged in the (weby) skin between toes. I looks like its been there for a long time. Its huge, about the size of a pencil eraser. The hen's foot is sensitive but it does walk however with a limp. It can't curl the far toe while perching because the thorn won't let it bend. We soaked the foot in warm water to clean and put antibacterial gel on it and the hen seemed to walk better. We are thinking about soaking in warm epsom salt water for about 30 minutes and gently press the foot flesh around the where the thorn entered to see if it will back out. I don't think this will work. It appears to have grown into the foot. But we will try. Any other suggestions?

 

[crtrlovr]

The epsom salt soak probably helped a great deal; you could also soak her foot in some Betadine / povidone iodine solution (just make it look like tea) and see if you can get a good grip on the thorn with some tweezers or even a pair of needlenose pliers, and try to work it out. I'm sure the poor girl would be eternally grateful.

You could put a bath towel down, lay her on it (after the foot soaking), and cover her head w/ a towel to keep her calm. They are usually a little easier to work with that way. Good luck!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

If it is a thorn, it must come out. If you can't squeeze it out, you may have to lance it. If it still won't come out, soak her foot in mineral, baby,cooking, or whatever light oil you have on hand, for a couple of minutes. Sometimes this will lube the splinter enough to help it slide out. Good luck.

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Quote:
No kidding. Poor dear chicken; that sounds simply miserable. She's been waiting for you to come rescue her.

 

[Lakemuse.com]

Thanks so much for your tips. I'm pretty certain its a huge thorn that's grown into her foot. I wish we had a vet that would help us. We'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. We are city people who recently moved to the country its been an experience. We seem to be in the business of rescuing animals. Nice to have you guys here for chickens.

 

[blefky]

If there is an infection there, whether caused by a thorn, splinter, or whatever, it will need to be drained to heal. Have you checked the bottom of her foot for a dark scab? She could have bumblefoot. Just in case, here's a good post on that with pics and treatment:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=236649

 

[Lakemuse.com]

It could be bumblefoot, I had no idea. So grateful for the information. Thank you.

 

[blefky]

Any update this morning?
Oh, and I forgot,

 

[Miss Lydia]

 

[Lakemuse.com]

She's a happy girl. It was bumble foot. So it's Christmas Eve and we soaked the foot in epsom salt then in bactine; the plug separated from the flesh. My husband worked the scab away from the flesh with an exacto knife and pulled out the plug with tweezers. He had a lot of cleaning to do after removing the plug and discovered a seed or kernel of corn as the core of the problem. The hen was surprisingly still for the process as though she was glad to be worked on. We kept her head covered with a towel and she was amazingly calm. Thanks to everyone for advice rendered. It seemed to have to worked out great. We will change dressings and monitor. Final report to follow.