Bumblefoot???

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Chuckles

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Bumblefoot???
« on: June 29, 2009, 21:04 »
Just been reading up on this forum about bumblefoot and I'm concerned a few of my girls may have it, how can I tell if it definately is this and whats the best treatment???

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Aunt Sally

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Re: Bumblefoot???
« Reply #1 on: June 29, 2009, 22:49 »
...I'm concerned a few of my girls may have it, ...

It's most unusual to have a number of hens with it.  What symptoms do they have ?

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Chuckles

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Re: Bumblefoot???
« Reply #2 on: June 30, 2009, 17:59 »
2 of my warrens appear to be most effected, they both have one foot that is very swollen between the toes and the pad of their foot.  Another of my warrens Betsy has one foot which is mainly swollen on the pad area and has a swelling on her toe of her other foot.  Daisy my lakenvelder has both feet swollen and has been finding it difficult to walk.  All the swellings are very hot to touch, they are on a course of Baytril (5th day).

I originally thought it was just an infection as advised by the vet but then on Sunday Gracie my blue leghorn started limping and noticed a small swelling, when I checked her over I found a hard piece of something that easily came off but left a bit of a hole, I originally thought it was a piece of grain had got stuck in her pad.  That then made me check all the others with swellings and they all seem to have a dark hard piece of something (looks like a corn!) on the feet which are swollen.

Other than that they seem to be in good health and are still laying as normal.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated....I just want to get my girls better!  :(

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Foxy

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Re: Bumblefoot???
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2009, 18:36 »
can you change them onto grass for a while so their feet can recover?

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Aunt Sally

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Re: Bumblefoot???
« Reply #4 on: June 30, 2009, 18:49 »
As Foxy suggests as there are so many of them with foot trouble it does seem to point to an environmental factor. 

What are they walking on all day either the run floor or when free ranging ?
Is there anything around which could cause small injuries to their feet either while walking,scratchimg about or digging?

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Chuckles

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Re: Bumblefoot???
« Reply #5 on: June 30, 2009, 19:43 »
Unfortunately they are in a fixed covered run so as much as I'd love to move them on to fresh grass I can't.  Their run used to be all grass which didn't last long, we do have half the run covered with bark for scratting in....could this be root of the problem???

Is there anything I could put down on the floor of the run to make it softer for them to walk on???

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Chuckles

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Re: Bumblefoot???
« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2009, 22:22 »
I've still got 4 of my chucks with very swollen feet, I'm now on day 7 of Baytril and I'm not sure if to continue with it or not (the vet advised a 7 day course).  If it is bumblefoot that they have (still not 100% sure that it is!) does any know if they would benefit by keeping them on it???

Been thinking about putting straw down in their run to help their feet, but not sure if it would help or hinder them???

Any advise anyone????

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Foxy

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Re: Bumblefoot???
« Reply #7 on: July 03, 2009, 08:30 »
Yes chopped straw is a good idea, I would however, want to take out all the old material, as you could have something in there that has caused the staph infection (bumble) and put new bark 50/50 with a mulch plus a thick layer of chopped straw. You could buy a few metres sq of cheap turf, a few pound from B and Q to pop down, a sort of soft carpet for them! If you keep that damp if will last a bit plus be cool underfoot for them, just thinking out loud really. :)

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Hensington

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Re: Bumblefoot???
« Reply #8 on: July 03, 2009, 10:29 »
You really need to clean that run out it is harbouring some very nasty bacteria, burn the bark and dig out a few inches at least of soil, replace with fresh soil, turf or chopped straw (replace straw periodically).

Best info I ever read on bumblefoot.

Bumblefoot as it is called is usually caused first by an abrasion to the skin of the foot pad and then an infection sets in causing the large growth on the bottom of the chickens foot. It doesn’t have to be a wide open cut just a small scrape or light abrasion to the foot pad will be enough to cause a problem. Most cases of bumblefoot involve the following bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, E.coli, Corynebacterium spp., and Pseudomonas spp. Once the infection takes hold in a matter of days the foot and or foot pad becomes swollen and is somewhat reddened and may be hot to the touch. The above mentioned bacteria that cause Bumblefoot are extremely aggressive and can and do infect humans. You would be wise to handle these birds with latex rubber gloves and be sure to wash your hands and change and wash your clothes before handling healthy birds.

Bumblefoot is preventable for the most part. Make sure that all roost poles or roosting areas are free from sharp objects such as,nails, screws,broken glass,jagged metal edges or other sharp objects that may cause an injury to the foot or foot pad. Make sure roost poles are not to high for the birds to jump down from so that they wont injure their feet or legs and cause an infection to get started. Even a rough roost pole can be enough to cause enough injury to the foot pad of the right bird and start a case of Bumblefoot. Over weight birds may be more susceptible as bearing excess weight on the foot pad together with a rough surface to stand on may cause injury to the foot pad and allow an infection to get started. Concrete floors can also be a problem if a bird is allowed to spend a lot of time on one or in an area where there are a lot of sharp edged stones.

The key to treating Bumblefoot is to catch it early. If the foot is swollen but is still soft to the touch you will stand a very good chance of curing the problem with antibiotics alone. If the foot swells and goes unnoticed generally the swollen area will become as hard as a rock and no amount of antibiotics will take the swelling completely away. The only alternative at this point will be surgery. Surgery can be successful if done carefully and properly. Antibiotics should be give for 5 to 7 days before surgery and until the surgical area is healed. Before beginning surgery the entire foot area and lower leg should be throughly washed and cleaned. Disinfect the area with a controlled iodine solution. Do not use pure iodine as it will burn the tissue and make the bird real uncomfortable and will slow the healing process. You can use a numbing agent such as ambesol to partially numb the area before making your incision. Make your incision with a new scalpel and just go slowly and avoid any tendons and blood vessels and slowly make your incision across the affected area making sure that you keep the incision as small as possible. Control bleeding with blood stop powder and by applying finger pressure to the upper part of the leg. Remove all of the hard pus material from the incision and flush it out with saline solution then apply some triple antibiotic ointment directly into the wound and suture or use gauze and adhesive tape to close the wound. It will heal faster and stay cleaner if the bird is not allowed to directly stand on the surgical area. In this case a cast can be made from just about any material that you may have around the house. Be innovative as long as it doesn’t add to the problem. In some cases a halved tennis or racquetball attached to the foot will do the trick. Change the dressing on the foot daily for the first week and then every other day or so as long as the wound is healing well.

If you are treating with antibiotics and not doing surgery the antibiotics of choice would be the following: Lincomycin 50 to 100 mg per bird per day for 7 to 10 days,or Doxycycline 50 to 100 mg per bird per day for 7 to 10 days,or amoxicillin at the rate of 250 mg per bird per day for 10 to 14 days and in some cases 500 mg per bird per day may be necessary but give it twice per day for 10 to 14 days. Cephalexin capsules work well in soft tissue and should be given at the rate of one 250 mg capsule once or twice per day for 7 to 10 days. After successful treatment all birds should receive probiotic in the drinking water for 7 to 10 days or until droppings return to normal.
By: Peter J. Brown
OF firststatevetsupply.com
« Last Edit: July 04, 2009, 14:01 by Hensington »

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Foxy

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Re: Bumblefoot???
« Reply #9 on: July 03, 2009, 10:51 »
thanks Hensington, good article :)

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John

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Re: Bumblefoot???
« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2009, 11:31 »
That's an excellent article but could you cite the source? It's beyond fair use and I don't want to be in trouble re copyright.

As an author myself it wouldn't do  :D
Check out our books - ideal presents

John and Val Harrison's Books
 

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Chuckles

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Re: Bumblefoot???
« Reply #11 on: July 03, 2009, 19:32 »
Dhoh!!!  Never thought about turf!  :wacko: Thanks Foxy!  Think thats they way we are going to go...going to get rid of all the bark and stuff and dig out the soil a little and put some turf down...hopefully it'll last a while!

Thanks for the excellent article Hensington it's given me some more info on it!  Not sure about doing surgery though...think I'll leave that to to vet if it comes to it!

Going to keep them on Baytril for a few more days...


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