How can I find my old pictures?

[Luvachicken]

Well, my 2 girls with bumblefoot have almost finished the antibiotics but I was wondering if bathing /washing their feet every night or couple of days, with the iodine solution would help it stop coming back, is a good idea ? Kind of like a weekly type thing for all of them to have done ?

 

Also, looking at their run, they have a smooth wooden edge that they sit on around their soil pit. Would it be ok to put pipe lagging over the top so that the surface is rounder, or would it be better to take the wood away and use rocks to edge it with instead ?

 

Any ideas on what else I could do to make their environment healthier ? I have taken the roosting bars out for now - when can I put them back in or do I never ?

[The Dogmother]

Bumblefoot isn't really very common, so I'd recommend that you look at their environment for anything sharp that might cause it. I have only ever had one bird with it in many years of chicken keeping.

 

Regular bathing won't really make much difference, but just inspecting their feet regularly to catch any injury quickly before it develops is the best course of action.

[Luvachicken]

Hmmmm, thank you Dogmother.

 

They do seem to dig up various things in their run - sharp stones, bits of tiles, bits of terracotta and bits of glass.

I do remove these things whenever I see them but they always seem to be finding treasure.

One day they will dig me up something that is worth something

 

For now, when it cools down a bit in the evenings, I will sift through their soil and remove whatever I can that is remotely sharp - I don't want this happening again. And hubby has bought them some tree stake type things to put over the top of their soil pit.

[The Dogmother]

Just a thought, but if you have them in a cube, then it's probably worth paving over the soil in the run and having the litter/Aubiose on top of that.

[Luvachicken]

Thanks again Dogmother

I have all Summer holiday to pick out every single piece of sharpness.

And if I don't get another job, then I will have plenty of time after to go looking too.

 

They do already have paving stones in some of their area, so this could be an option, if I give up on the stone sorting.

[Chicken deficient]

I think that bathing them longterm could make it worse - if their feet are softened up, they could be more susceptible to further bumblefoot.

I'd try to encourage them to perch on less evenly shaped things. Mine have a bench in their run, but I have fixed tree branches along the back and arms, so that they aren't putting pressure on the same part of the foot each time they perch.

Certainly removing broken glass and keeping the run clean will help, but think of bumble foot more as pressure sores that then get infected.

 

I wouldn't use pipe lagging - they could pick bits off it and eat them, (if it is the dark grey foamy stuff I'm thinking of). Building up the sides with smooth stones or something could help.

 

Good luck!

[Luvachicken]

Hubby is insisting that the tree stakes he has bought will be fine as they are round in shape.

But I say that they are still a regular shape all over and they will still put pressure on a ceratin spot.

 

Please help settle the argument

[The Dogmother]

I'd still look at something more environmental... pave under the run, blagging paving stones from freecycle if necessary, check around the garden for stuff like sharp gravel or brambles/thorns at ground level.

[Egghead68]

My pekin has had it three times. i check her feet every week and apply iodine at the first signs.

[The Dogmother]

If it looks like getting infected, then you can make up a warm poultice with Animalintex and fashion a wee boot to keep it on; that will draw out any infection/foreign object.