Bumblefoot!

Switters, one of my Rhode Island Reds, has had a round scab on the bottom of her right foot for a few weeks now. I soaked and cleaned her feet many times, but the scab showed no signs of clearing up, and a slight pink color had now developed around the edges. I then noticed a very tiny round scab on the bottom of her other foot, and decided that I needed to get her feet healthy right away before it got serious. I used to work at a bird of prey center, so I am very familiar with bumblefoot, which can be a serious foot problem in birds if not treated.

According to Farm Animal Shelters, bumblefoot is: "...a localized infection in the foot causing bulbous swelling of the footpad and surrounding tissue. It can affect one or both feet, and can affect one or many members of the flock. Bumblefoot is an infection that is caused by an injury to the ball of the foot. As the infection progresses, the lesion enlarges and the ball of the foot and tissue between the toes becomes enlarged and swollen. There is usually a round scab on the base of the foot that, when removed, will allow pus to be drained from the foot. If caught early, the foot can be treated with wraps and antibiotics may not be necessary."

The injury to the ball of the foot can come from a thorn or other sharp object in the soil, or a bird being overweight and having too much pressure on the foot. I think in the case of Switters, the cut on her foot was caused by a goat head, which is a seed pod that plagues both feet and bike tires here in Albuquerque. This thorny seed is tetrahedral in shape- so no matter which way it lands, there is always a spike sticking straight up. I assume that Switters got one in her foot, and it just never healed. If this scab/injury was going to get worse and turn into bumblefoot- we caught it at the right time. Her foot was not yet swollen and she showed no signs of limping, but I did not want to take any chances. There are a variety of ways to treat this issue, but here is what I did:

• I soaked her feet for 15 minutes in warm water and epsom salts to get off the dirt and loosen the scab.
• I then layed her on her side in my lap, which gave me access to the bottoms of her feet. I patted her feet dry, and then picked off the scabs. To my surprise, the scabs came off easily- and there was no puss or bleeding. It appeared that a thin layer of skin had already begun to form underneath (this is a good thing, as a bumblefoot scab when picked is usually quite pussy). I palpated her feet once the scabs were removed, and I did not feel any had masses or lumps which is also a good sign.
• Although her feet (post scab) looked better than expected, I still decided to proceed as planned to clean and wrap her feet. I wiped her feet down with some diluted iodine, and then I applied Staphaseptic, a non-antibiotic antiseptic (bumblefoot is caused by a staph infection).
• I then wrapped her feet with a non-stick vet wrap, and put her inside the house in a soft bottom cage with a variety of perches.

I plan to keep her bandaged for 24 hours, and then I will unwrap to check on her feet. If they still look good, then I will apply more antiseptic and leave the wraps off. In a few days I will put her back outside after she has developed a thicker skin where the scab was. Maybe I could have left it alone, but the scab had been there for over 3 weeks (at least that is when I noticed it), and it showed no signs of improving. I just wanted to be on the safe side and not have it turn into a major problem. I will leave some updates over the next few days.

Here are some links to check out related to bumble foot as well as general leg and foot health care for chickens.

• Leg and Foot Disorders in Domestic Fowl, Virginia Cooperative Extension
• Link to a forum topic on Backyard Chickens about bumble foot. Note: the first picture shows a scab that is very similar to what Switters had, although the one switers had was larger and thicker.
• Here is another really good reference on BYC about bumble foot.