![]() She was not limping despite the awful-looking scab. The bird in the following photo is a bumblefoot frequent-flyer. ![]() Not every scab on a chicken’s footpad results in an infection inside the foot! Regular flock foot inspections are highly recommended to detect infections at the earliest possible stage. ![]() Preventative measures should be taken to avoid bumblefoot as treatment is painful and time-consuming and eradicating it, difficult. This is an advanced case of Bumblefoot, which was successfully treated by surgical removal at home. Whatever the cause, failure to treat bumblefoot can result in the spread of the infection to the bones and tendons, debilitating pain and death. My opinion is that most bumblefoot infections result from small cuts or scrapes acquired during normal, scratching and foraging followed by exposure to bacteria in chicken poop. Injuries can result from a splintered roost or repetitive, heavy landings from heights, particularly in heavy breeds and obese chickens. The entry point for bacteria can be a cut, scrape, injury or breakdown of the skin from walking on wet, dirty bedding. Broken skin allows bacteria (e.g.: staphylococcus) to get inside the foot, which leads to a pus-filled abscess. CAUSESīumblefoot results when the skin of the foot is compromised in some way, allowing bacteria to invade the foot, causing infection. Left untreated, serious cases of bumble foot can be fatal as the infection can spread to other tissues and bones. Bumblefoot is characterized by swelling, sometimes redness and often a characteristic black or brown scab on the bottom of the foot. Bumblefoot is the term used to describe an infection inside a chicken’s foot referred to as “plantar pododermatitis” by medical professionals.
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