[katey]

Hi,
I collected my first ever hens 3 days ago,2 silkies and a pilkie.They're all 18 months old and were free to a good home as their previous owner had developed a bad allergy.

The 2 silkies are fine but the pilkie had duck poo stuck to her foot when i collected her.
Their owner tried to get it off but said it was pulling at her scales a bit.she said it would probably work it's way off or come off during her moult.
When i got them home i left them alone for a few hours to settle in but then noticed that the pilkie seemed to be in pain and was limping.

Yesterday i tried soaking her foot in warm water for 20 mins but it's stuck like concrete.It did look like it had pulled at her leg.....there was a bit of pinky non scaly bit.She hasn't wanted to leave the nest box from the start and i have to lift her out for food/ water.
I have purple spray.......would that help.....?

I will try to contact her previous owner tonight but in the meantime is there anything i can do for her.Should i be taking her to the vet?

Sorry for the long post but i'm getting really worried now.
I'd be so grateful if any of you could advise me.
Kate

[rachelr]

are you sure it is duck pooh. Most chicks clean up with a bit of soap and water so if they have not i am thinking it could be something else.

Try using vaseline on the leg and see if it is actually pooh or a scab.

[katey]

Thanks i'll try it.Could be a scab but it's enormous.The water looked a bit grainy when i bathed it yesterday....i just don't know.

[Casey76]

Look at these photos of bumble foot

Does it look similar to this?

[rachelr]

They do get scaly legs and if not treated properly will cause them pain and can cause limping.

Might be a good idea to find a chook friendly vet and get some antibiotics

[PaulineM]

Hi
When I got my hens one had a ball like thing stuck on one toe, the owner said it was just hardened poo and that it would work its way off, after a few days there was no improvement. We ended up picking it with all sorts (whilst completely securing the toe so that there was no movement) it was a two person job, but eventually we removed it. It was just like concrete as you described and although it was picking up dew from the grass it had just got heavier rather than falling off.

[PaulineM]

Hi again
Just wanted to add if you are sure its just muck of some sort you could try standing her in a bowl of warm water for 20 mins and see if that would soften it. 

[Alby]

One of my ex barn birds had a big round lump on one claw that was infact hardened mash food ( must admit it was funy when she CLUNKED over the shed floor !!!)  I softened it in warm water then gentley cut it off bit by bit with small scissors. Once I got through the hard surface it came off very easy. She suffered no damage at all, although i  ned to cut back her claw.

[Helenaj]

Do you have a photo you could post? Last year, I rescued a couple of Marans that belonged to a neighbour who simply could not look after them. One had a leg ring and her Scaly Leg infection was so bad it had completely covered the ring. It looked like a huge lump of grey poo. It was only through several warm water soakings and lots of careful picking did we manage to remove the buildup of scaly matter and eventually the ring.

[katey]

Hi,thanks so much for the replies!
Had a power cut 9-4 that my dear OH forgot to tell me about .
Casey76....thanks for the link but it doesn't look like that,it's like a huge lump onthe top of her foot.
Bless her,she just keeps holding it up and it's a bit shaky.She's eating and drinking fine when kicked out of the nest box.
I'll try another soak and pick..(I've been a bit frightened of hurting her)and try and get some photo's up(need OH for that!).

[Foghorn-Leghorn]

If it is any consolation chickens can cope with a fair bit of prodding and poking to their feet.  We had Bumblefoot in quite a few of our chickens and ended up using a scalpel to remove the "bumble" and prod around in the hole to ensure all the pus was removed. 

All I would say is if you do end up disturbing scales or removing the lump results in an open wound, ensure you dress it and keep it clean and dry. 

If you have any doubts it may be worth visiting a poultry friendly vets (I know it's hardly the introduction to keeping chickens that you would want).

Good luck and I hope your chook is soon on the mend. 

[Sassy]

You could try using a banana skin. ie the inside of the skin next to what you want to remove and use Vetwrap to bandage it on.  This should help to soften and remove whatever it is. Salt water is always good to bathe a wound in just not too strong. Vets use salt water all the time. Good luck

[Frizzle1]

Sounds to me as though the lady couldn't cope. If they were cleaned and cared for in the first place I don't think this would have happened. Maybe that's why she rehomed them. Fell behind with the husbandry side of chook keeping. Try soaking with warm water and a little drop of olive oil.

[Pol]

Hi Katey,
How is her foot today?
Pol

[katey]

Hi,unfortunately it's still no better.I've been soaking and picking.......tried the vaseline too!
OH has been promising to knock off work early to help me but that hasn't happened(not his fault....he's snowed under with call outs)
I can't see her like this any more and the other two are really picking on her and she's such a tiny thing too  ,so i'm taking her to the vet.At least then i know she'll be looked after properly.
Thanks to everyone for all the advice and i'll post to say what vet says.
Fingers crossed it will be put right in a flash!
kate