# Swollen foot



## jeremyhenline (Mar 22, 2013)

I have a rir rooster that ive raised from a chic and is approx 6-7 months old. All of a sudden his foot is swollen and only his foot n pad. No bite marks no scuff marks jus swollen. His spurs are just starting as well. Any ideas on what it is n how to fix my boy jack?


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Might be bumblefoot. Here's a website where a lady seems to get this and other things in her flock quite a bit and details what she does about it:

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/07/bumblefoot-causes-treatment-warning.html

I don't agree with all the causes and prevention tips she gives, but she posts clear pics of what she does for the birds. I've never had bumblefoot in any of my flocks so I've only got prevention tips available.


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## jeremyhenline (Mar 22, 2013)

Thanks! Thats what it looks like but not as bad yet. Started soaking foot yesterday in epsom salt hope that takes care of it. Thanks again.


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## galanie (Sep 10, 2013)

Fantastic page on Bumblefoot, Bee! Unfortunately I have had to deal with it. I am convinced it was because the roost was too high for the largest of my Orps because they were the only ones that got them. Even sadder, I had to put one down finally because of it. No matter what I did, it kept coming back and eventually I just let her live out her life with it until she just couldn't get around and was obviously in too much pain. As a result, my new place has absolutely no roosting points more than 2 feet off the ground. And no more bumblefoot. It only ever happened to the ones that weigh more than 8 lbs.


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

galanie said:


> Fantastic page on Bumblefoot, Bee! Unfortunately I have had to deal with it. I am convinced it was because the roost was too high for the largest of my Orps because they were the only ones that got them. Even sadder, I had to put one down finally because of it. No matter what I did, it kept coming back and eventually I just let her live out her life with it until she just couldn't get around and was obviously in too much pain. As a result, my new place has absolutely no roosting points more than 2 feet off the ground. And no more bumblefoot. It only ever happened to the ones that weigh more than 8 lbs.


Yep...I think the Orps get it more also because of the amount of food they consume compared to the other birds~they call that infectious gout. My roosts are always 4-5 ft. off the ground, with a rough bark surface, only LF breeds and I've never had true bumblefoot, although Bertha came back from the bad place with large callouses on her feet, they don't become inflamed or cause her pain of any kind but they haven't went away.

The roosts at the bad place were not tall, but were 1x4 boards placed on a slant, so the birds had to roost on those pointy 1 in. surfaces for a whole year. Three birds came from there with foot problems I had never encountered before in a flock and those foot problems seem to be a permanent damage to them. One with deep callouses and two with impacted foot glands that need cleaning out periodically as the glands have been stretched all out of proportion and collect debris now.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I knew someone who put something like non skip on her roosts. She started having an awful time with bumble, she finally figured out it was the stuff she had on the roosts.


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## sbon2727 (Aug 17, 2013)

we converted an old SAMs Club cedar playhouse to a coop this year. wrapped it with fencing and built a box in part of the bottom. we removed some of the floor boards into the second floor above the box but left the floor joists for the girls to use to roost. the jump/flight up is about 2 1/2 - 3 feet. the box they jump from always has pine wood chip bedding about 2 inches deep. I wonder now if I'm making them go too high to roost?


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Nope. But you might look at the quality of the roost bar and see if it's a little rough in nature or if it's cedar and the oils are irritating the feet. If this is a concern, you can always get the tubular foam insulation they place around water pipes and put it over your roost bars and fasten it there with zip ties. It will make for comfy footing.


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