[sheridan]

Hi all,
I'm on my second lot of hens now, never had any problems. Previous lot were hybrids, this second lot are Sussex and Marans. Got them last Monday, all between 10-12 weeks.

They've settled in nicely, coming out of the coop now, friendly enough to realise I have corn, but still at the having to catch them to put them to bed stage.

The pecking order was established pretty early on and the winner was the biggest Sussex lady, Lilly. However, yesterday I noticed that she has a sizeable lump above her foot, on her ankle area. It feels warm to the touch, but she's still putting it down ( although not as heavily as the other foot), and still eating a lot and pooing ok, as far as I could tell. She's still boss and the first out of the coop. I examined the foot and could see no punctures, scratches or dreaded black spot, no raised scales etc. I'm wondering if maybe she just bumped it on a pecking order fracas and it'll right itself? How long should I wait? Like I said, she's well otherwise, comb up and all that, eyes bright.

Thanks in advance.

[ANHBUC]

If it is hot it sounds like an infection.  You can't always see if something has gone into their feet with the scales it is difficult to tell.  A member lost one of her hens recently due to a thin piece of wire getting in to the hens foot.  Best to get it checked out at the vets.   

[sheridan]

I can't think how anything would get in there; the run is 15 ft X15ft and just mud and gravel, and plants. I've had another look and given it a wash and still can't see anything.

There isn't a vet here that will look at chickens unless you sign them on as pets, for which you pay the princely sum of 32 quid, as a consultation, BEFORE they add on any treatment. As I ony paid a fiver for her, i'm loathe to fork out the best part of 40 quid for a hen i've only had a week! Harsh I know, but....

I wonder If I could bathe it in salt water? Or if I should take her back to the supplier?I don't think she could have done anything in my run, there isn't anything there for her to damage herself on! Can hens sprain their ankles?

[ANHBUC]

I don't know if they can have a sprain.  You can get in touch with the breeder and see if they are experienced enough to treat it.  The trouble is if it is infected and not treated it will be a slow and painful death.    

There is a list of poultry friendly vets around the country HERE

[sheridan]

Maybe some antibiotic powder will help. Anyone have any recommendations?
I'll check out the vet list. If it doesn't look like clearing it'll be back to the supplier with her, much as she is named already. 

[ANHBUC]

I think that if it is a sealed infection it would need to be lanced.  Wound powder would only work on an open wound.  Antibiotic powder would need to be prescribed by a vet.

[Sassy]

If you are sure it is an infection ie an abcess you could try to draw it with magnesium sulphate. However, I don't know if it would help on an area where there is so little flesh - a pharmacist should be able to advise to this - it is not recommended for babies so this may contra-indicate it.

An area can be hot if badly bruised!

If she starts to show other signs of ill-health and you don't wish to take her to the vet yu will need to consider culling her

[sheridan]

Well, I rang the supplier and he's willing to have her back and swap for another hen, but now they've got a pecking order down I don't really want to get another hand. He said there's no scaly mite or bumblefoot in the flock he has and they all looked smashing and healthy when we picked them up to be fair, so he thinks she's just bumped or bruised it from pecking order fighting.

She's still eating and charging about this morning, first one out of the coop at the pellets, so i'm not too worried yet. She is still putting it down, just not as heavily as the other foot all the time. Lump no bigger or smaller, and not red, so maybe she did just bruise it.

I think if it's no better after a week or so, with constant checking, i'll return her to her breeder, and he can cull! I will make do with three.

[PJM]

Around here is a chain of vets called Vets 4 Pets, they are all over Nottingham, and I would reccomend them. I took one of my elderly Buff Orpington x Wyandotte Bantams to them with a chest infection last October. They successfully treated her, over a two week period, the vet was very nice and not at all pushy. I was offered and took up a chest xray, to make sure there was nothing else. With 2 appoitments, 2 lots of medication, and the xray (the most expensive part) came to just over £100. without the xray would have been 40 pounds.
Was it worth it? you bet it was

[sheridan]

Well, she's made a recovery, i'd say. The lump looks smaller, is cooler,  and she's flying about onto the high perches ( I've got a 10 foot high run with a roof and perches high up) and landing fine on it, as well as pushing the others aside for corn, so i'd say she just bruised it. I'll keep an eye on it, but she seems a tough young bird.

[ANHBUC]

That is good news.  Best to have somewhere they can land part way as 10 ft is really high and might result in internal injuries.  I have an old table that mine use to get up to the rafters and down again.  It is just the bantams that roost there so I put a feeder and drinker on the table so they get a chance against my big girls. 

[sheridan]

The roof is about 10 foot, the perches vary from 2 to 5 ft, they have a jungle jim arrangement of tyres to get up and down with if they want. They're spoilt! They actually prefer roosting up there to being in the coop in the Summer.

[ANHBUC]

My bantams roosted all winter in ours.  Today I had to evict a female blackbird that had decided to start nest building in there.     I didn't think it would be a good idea leaving it as it would be trapped some of the time.