# Swollen feet



## nickygio

Hi there, I have a Rhode Island Red whose feet appear to be swollen. she doesn't like to walk around, and when she does it looks awkward. She roosts alot. how could this have been caused? Is there anything that I could do? Any responses would be much appreciated.


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## Energyvet

The two things that cross my mind are heart/vascular disease and bumble foot. We need pics. That might give us a better idea of what's going on. We need views of the feet and the bottoms of the feet.


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## nickygio

Here are some pictures


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## Energyvet

Seems like the right foot is swollen but left foot is close to normal. Any recent trauma? How old is this hen?


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## nickygio

There is no trauma that I know of, I got her about two months ago, so she is about twenty months old. I'm not really sure when the swelling began though


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## Energyvet

Look to see if she's banded. The bands may be too tight. That can cause feet to swell up.


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## nickygio

She is not banded on either foot


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## Energyvet

Is it just the foot? Or the whole leg?


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## nickygio

It seems to be from the ankle down, not the whole leg


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## lorindaeb

Could it be gout?


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## Energyvet

Yes, it could be gout.


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## toybarons

I had a chicken who once had frostbite. After she thawed out, she seemed fine. Then 24 hours later, one of her feet swelled up to twice its normal size. I had no idea what to do. Someone told me that sometimes an abscess can form under the skin after frostbite. They recommeded having the foot lanced. It was the first operation I ever had to do on my own bird. I sterilized a needle and lanced it. There was some fluid in the foot, so I drained it the best I could. Then put some Polysporin on it with a bandaid. Within a few days, the foot went down to normal and the hen was walking normal.

I'm not saying that is going on with your bird. I found out later that sometimes just the bird jumping down on their foot can cause inner damage to the foot pad which can lead to swelling.


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## Josephkirk

I step on my chicken feet once in a while but they all around me when I go in the coop. I think they love me. I don't know if they have any feellings in there feet. They never hollar when I step on them. They just keep pulling trying to get their foot back


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## saybiodiesel

Could it be the start of Blackfoot disease? I had two hens that had it they are both dead now. They both died before they were 3 years old.


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## Josephkirk

I just looked this up and found a real nice artical on it.. It is Bumble foot You can take it to the VET or treat it yourself.


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## Josephkirk

Just google Bumblefoot in foul. They have several stories on it.


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## wyandotteboy

this may sound stupid, but is it maybe from frequent landings made from flying of the roosts???


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## bunnymom

I would suspect bumblefoot if there has been any wounds. Check her toes and "ankle" for anything that could be wrapped around like a thread or long hair. I have to keep an eye on my chickens because there is a lot of old twine that the get into when they are scratching. It can thread out and wrap around and cause swelling. Another thought is, has it been cold there, could she maybe have had a frostbite? In any case. after being sure there is no thread etc, I think I would soak her feet in some warm Epsom salt water for a little while dry them well and maybe rub in some antibiotic salve. Hope she recovers well.


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## craziegrannie

I don't know if chickens get arthritis, the one foot has a toe that looks like it is arthritic. Sort of bent and like I have seen in old human hands with arthritis.


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## kaufranc

My rooster had bumblefoot. Is it warm to the touch? Is there a black scab somewhere on the pad of her foot?


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## My3Cats

I had a hen get swollen feet. I used white salve which didnt help. Then I had a guinea do the same. I checked its feet for sores etc and didnt find any. Ist time I treated it I would use the dip net to catch it. But it came back. I used black salve and covered the legs a ll the way to the feathers. Also I would go in after dark. Use a small flash light to locate it. Then turn out the light and quickly catch the bird off the pirch and grease it up good. The bird just let out a small squawk but stayed on the roost so it coutd work when I was done. It only took 2-3 treatments that way.


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## Josephkirk

If the roost is too high that can happen. I have my roost about 18 inches off the floor


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## Energyvet

Didn't look like bumble foot from the photos. That was my first thought. My best guess is gout.


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## nickygio

Hey guys
Its been a long time, but the chicken has actually begun to walk and scratch normally again. I used the black salve suggested by my3cats. I did it for a week, and she was fine. The swelling is still there, but she is acting perfectly normal. Thanks for all the suggestions.


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## Bee

One cause of gout that leads to bumblefoot is high protein feeds. Anyone having recurrence or frequency of bumblefoot in their flocks need to look at how much total proteins the bird are getting and also the level of exercise they receive. 

The combination of high pro and penned into a run can cause joint/feet gout and even the resulting sore on the pad of the foot as the infection/inflammation finally encapsulates into a core.


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