As your flock dives head first filling their mouths with the food you’ve just thrown, you notice one of the chickens just standing there. You give her a little push toward the food only to find she is limping.
“Oh No!”
The first step to identifying Bumble foot is to put on some gloves and catch your limping chicken.
You can either:
– Pick your chicken up, directing her head under your arm and pull her feet backwards to inspect the soles
or
– Lay your chicken down on the ground with your hand on her back and pull her feet out from under her.
Study the underside of her feet, if it is Bumblefoot you will find a hard scab and a swollen pink pad. Bumblefoot can be caused by a scratch on the sole of the foot that has become infected. Under this hard scab is a cheesy abscess if left untreated the infection can extend into ligaments and tendons of the legs, even into the bones.
If you were lucky enough to have caught the infection early the treatment that your VET will recommend is to clean the scab with antiseptic daily and treat it with oral antibiotics. If the infection has gone on for a long time the VET may surgically remove the infection but this is in extreme cases.
Many backyard chicken owners believe that this is the only way to deal with bumble foot and try to treat it themselves by removing the scab, but this is not wise and may cause a worsening of the infection.
So we recommend three steps
1. Calling your local vet to make a booking.
2. Wearing gloves gives your chicken’s foot a clean in a bath of water so the Vet can have a good look and the scab. Then place the chicken in a holding area until her appointment, so she can access water and food with ease.
3. Rake your chicken coop of rough debris and cover it in a softer mulch to ensure that your flock don’t cecum to the same fate.
Bumblefoot is easy to identify, but do not perform backyard surgery on your chicken, do both you and your chicken a favour and see a vet.
