How to raise Backyard Chickens: Re: [CHICKENS-101] Bumblefoot, and stuff...

Hi Lisa, Hope you feel better. You do not have to cut on your chicken's foot; in fact it's not a good idea to do so. You can spread the infection. I have had good luck with washing the foot with soap and water well. Soaking it in warm epson salt water for 5-10 minutes. Mix a grape size glob vick or generic vicks or bacitracin with a drop or two of tea tree oil or black salve, (I have better results with tea tree oil.). Put the mixed glob on a sterile gauze pad and put it on the bottom of the foot. Add a square of bread wrapper or other similar ok for food plastic a little bit bigger than the gauze pad. Then wrap the food up in horse tape using short strands going between the toes and part way up the leg. Not too tight, not loose. Change it in 3 days, then change it again in 2 days, then another 2 days until   gone.  
Cathryn  rainbowsilkiesTM Michigan

    From: zilla963 <zilla963@yahoo.com>
 To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Friday, November 23, 2012 9:20 AM
 Subject: [CHICKENS-101] Bumblefoot, and stuff...

 Ugh, well, I spent most of thanksgiving in the bathroom. was queezy when i went to bed wed night and was sick all morning... cautiously tried some turkey at dinner and was queezy all night,but no more sick... i hate getting sick on holidays! I had such big plans of getting things done while hubby made dinner ( he likes to do thanksgiving dinner) 
  I did get the gutters cleaned out but nothing else... 

  Anyway we noticed our BO hen was limping so we looked at her foot and sure enough its bumblefoot.  Hubby is out hunting and when he gets back we are going to get the Cuckoo Marans.. when we get back from that we will get ole bumblefoot and wash her up and clean out the foot. 

  We will get her set up in a box on the sun porch or in the basement for a few days so she can heal... 

  Still hoping to get stuff done this weekend... :-/

  Lisa
  SCentral WI