Elizabeth Mack helps us detect and treat foot problems in chicks and chickens.
Two common foot problems in chickens are a rotten leg, also known as a “grated leg,” and a buzzing foot. While both are treatable, they must be caught early. Chickens are notorious for hiding any sign of disease, so early intervention is crucial to a successful outcome.
What is playleg?
Play leg (sometimes called “spraddle leg”) is a condition that a chick is born with or develops within the first few hours of life. It is usually quite obvious, as one or both of the new chick’s legs will slide to the sides, leaving them unable to stand or walk. Technically, there is nothing abnormal about the legs; The muscles are not strong enough to hold the chick upright. However, if left untreated, it can be fatal to chicks. Without the ability to stand upright or walk to the waterer and feeder, the chick can die within hours.
Play leg can sometimes occur if the chick is critically positioned in the egg before hatching, and sometimes (though rarely) it can be due to a lack of nutrients. Temperatures that are too high during the hatching process or too different during incubation can also cause the leg to show apart.
Prevent leg play
By far the most common cause of a drooping leg is walking on surfaces that are too dull for the newly hatched chick to grasp. Their small, fragile legs lack the strength to keep a perch upright without a textured surface to grip on their clawed feet. Last spring, when I had 18 chicks coming in from the hatchery, my husband built an elaborate incubator—out of sheet metal (his trade). I convinced him that while it was very pretty, we couldn’t use slippery sheet metal for floors!
Laying newspapers on the nursery floor to catch droppings is a common practice among new chicken keepers, but it is a common cause of mosaic leg. The smooth surface of the newspaper is too slippery for new chicks to get on their feet. In addition, the ink used in some newspapers can be toxic to the chicks.
Paper towels or commercial towels are a better choice. Although covering the nursery floor with paper towels may be a more expensive option, they will only be needed for the first few days until the newly hatched chicks build up their leg muscles. Rubber shelf liners are another option that can be sterilized and reused. After two or three days, once the chicks’ legs are strong, change the brooder’s floor covering to pine chips.
treading splay leg
As with any disease or abnormality, a wobbly chick runs the risk of being picked up by its flock mates, which can often result in fatal injuries. The chick will emerge as a threat to the survival of the flock and become a target. If you suspect a splayed leg, remove the chick immediately and isolate it from the rest of the flock until it heals.
The treatment for a divergent leg is fairly simple. The legs should be secured so that the chick can stand upright, but loose enough that the chick will continue walking. One way is to wrap fuzzy pipe cleaners around the legs. However, watch closely so that the wire does not protrude inside the soft outer shell. Many chicken owners use elastic bandages, but the adhesive can stick to the bird’s soft fluff. (The feathers won’t come in for a few weeks.)
The safest and most effective treatment method is to use an elastic bandage that sticks to itself. Vitrab Duct tape is an option and can be found at many gardening supply stores. It does not contain adhesive, and is flexible, durable yet lightweight and breathable. You can easily cut it to fit. Wrap the bandage in an eight around the legs so that they are in a normal standing position, but do not wrap it tightly; The chick should still be able to stand and walk. If they can’t walk just by wrapping their legs, the bandage may be too tight.
After wrapping, you should notice improvement within a day or so, and recovery is fairly quick. Change the wrap once or twice a day to check development, and rewrap as needed. Splay’s leg can heal significantly within the first two weeks after hatching, so it’s vital to take action as soon as possible. Once treated successfully, the chickens should grow at the same rate as their flock mates without any developmental delay. The play leg will not return, and the chicks should live a healthy, normal life.
wThe bumblefoot hat?
Bumblefoot, or plantar dermatitis, is a bacterial infection of the toe, hock, or pad of a chicken foot. If the skin is infected with a cut or a wound, staph bacteria can enter and infect the foot. Bumblefoot starts on the surface of the foot, but can spread to musculoskeletal tissues if not treated. Unlike dropped legs, which only happen to new chicks, bumblebee’s foot can happen to poultry of all ages, and it can happen more than once. Bumblefoot can affect not only chickens, but also all types of poultry, including ducks.
Early signs of bumblefoot are a slight limp or change in the way you walk. A chicken may walk oddly, preferring one foot. The affected foot will become painful, red, and swollen. On examination, you may find a round black crust.
How to block Bumblefoot
Bumblefoot often results in a hard landing, often flying from a high place or nest box that is too high. Make sure heavy birds, such as Orpingtons, have easy access to and from their carcass. In my new pen, I lowered the nest boxes when I noticed my Orpingtons struggling to get up and down.
Chicken housing can be full of unseen dangers. Check the barn and pen regularly, as well as wherever the flock is, for puncture hazards. I go through my pen with a long magnetic stick to pick up any nails, staples or other sharp objects that could pierce their feet. Check the roost bars each spring to make sure sudden freezes and thaws have not caused splinters in the wood. After the seasonal molting, rake the fallen feathers from the coop and pen. On a soft footpad, the quills of a quill can be sharp enough to pierce the foot if stepped on.
Bumblefoot disease treatment
If you suspect chickens have bumblebee’s foot, the first treatment should be to soak their feet in a warm Epsom salt bath. Soaking in warm water will soften the foot pads and reduce infection. If a small rind is found, it should peel off easily after soaking.
If swelling and redness continue to worsen, or a hard black crust remains, more aggressive treatment may be necessary. While some chicken owners attempt to treat bumble-foot at home by excision of the affected area, this is a painful and invasive procedure, so it must be done with care to avoid further infections.
If a hard shell remains, the only way to remove it is to cut open the abscess, taking care to remove as much of the yellowish pulp as possible. Keep the injured foot wrapped and clean until it heals. If the feet are kept dry and clean, signs of healing should appear within one week, but it may take up to a month for full recovery. If you’re allergic or an infection is advanced, a trip to the vet might be in order. Your vet can perform minor surgery and prescribe antibiotics to fight the infection. Keep the chickens out of the coop, or at least away from the roost, to avoid reinjury until the foot is fully healed.
Sometimes a minor injury will heal on its own if it is kept clean and dry. Keeping your running steady helps keep illness and injury to a minimum. If the run gets muddy in wet weather, consider incorporating sand, or give your herd dry walking trails that are free of mud. Frequent occurrences of bumblefoot in a flock is a clear indication that something is wrong with their area of residence. Although bumblefoot is not contagious, it can be extremely painful and life-threatening if left untreated. Detecting early warning signs is crucial to successful treatment and outcomes.
Not all chicken injury or disease can be avoided, but we do have to be diligent in monitoring our flock. Getting to know your flock will greatly help in spotting early warning signs of injury or disease. Daily, weekly, and comprehensive monthly check-ups are essential, and can prevent a minor injury from becoming a serious health threat.
Chicken feet get a lot of abuse during their lives. Staying alert for any changes in gait or other behavior and knowing how to recognize foot abnormalities or injuries when they appear will get you and your chickens on the right foot!
Freelance writer Elizabeth Mac He keeps a small flock of chickens on a 2-acre hobby farm outside of Omaha, Nebraska. Her work appeared in Capper Farms, Out Here, First for Women, Nebraskaland, And many other print and electronic publications. her first book, Healing Springs and Other Stories, includes her introduction—and subsequent love affair—with raising chickens. Visit their website, Chickens in the Garden.
Originally published in Community Chickens, October 2021