“Okay…I’m ready,” I sighed. I looked away and braced for it as if I was the one about to have surgery. Slowly, and ever-so-gently, she pulled the first tiny bit of gunk from the hole between Checker’s toes. Eeeh gads, was it stinky!  “Poor little girl,” I whispered to our brave hen. Life had gotten busy and I hadn’t noticed the bumps developing between Checker’s toes — not until they had turned into large, swollen blisters.

If you’ve ever owned chickens, then you’ll already know the joys and wonders of watching them grow and learn. You’ve discovered how entertaining they can be and also, sometimes, how naughty. Hopefully your flock has contributed to your farm via eggs, meat, insect control, and if you have a rooster – guard duty. Most of the time, our gang goes from day to day with no drama at all. Occasionally though, something pops up that, all of a sudden, needs immediate attention. These large, red blisters on our hen’s feet, was one of them. Research from Backyard Poultry, Backyard Chicken Coops and The Chicken Chick provided three possible causes:

Gout: “Gout in chickens may result from a genetic defect that causes the kidneys to function improperly, but may also be triggered by a diet that is too high in protein. It is more common in cocks than in hens, generally doesn’t appear in birds until they are at least 4 months old, and usually affects individuals rather than an entire flock. The usual sign is swollen joints of the feet and toes, resulting in lameness and shifting of the weight from leg to leg to relieve discomfort. Because of the swelling, the bird is unable to bend its toes. The feet may redden and blister, and the blisters may develop into sores. Because walking is painful, the bird may spend a lot of time sitting in one place, grooming excessively.” Fortunately, that was not the case with Checkers. Ok, how about one of the others.

Scaly Leg Mites: “The scaly leg mite is a pale gray, round, tiny chicken parasite, only about 1/100 inch in diameter. It is more likely to attack older birds, but can also affect young chickens kept with old birds. It burrows under the scales on a chicken’s shanks and feet, raising the scales by generating debris that accumulates beneath them. As a result, the shanks thicken and crust over and eventually become deformed. Scaly leg mites spread slowly by traveling from bird to bird along the roost.” Since only one of our girls had this, and everyone’s legs looked fine, I ruled this out as well. That left –

Bumblefoot:“Bumblefoot occurs when bacteria, such as Staphylococcus invade and cause infection in the skin of a chicken’s foot, creating a pus-filled abscess. The entry point for bacteria can be anything from a cut, scrape, injury or even simply a raw spot on the skin caused by walking on wet, dirty bedding. The first stage of Bumblefoot is characterized by pinkish-red rough areas on the top or bottom of the chicken’s feet or between its toes. The second stage manifests itself with increased redness, sores, inflammation and infection. The chicken in question will most likely be feeling a little pain upon walking and landing. During stage three, the final and most serious stage of this infection, any sore that has not been treated will turn dark brownish black. Chickens are in a good deal of pain and will avoid any movement or activity that puts pressure on their sore weak foot or feet.”

Bumblefoot seemed like the most likely cause although our black and white hen showed no signs of discomfort or lameness. I called my daughter, who works as a veterinary technician, and ran all the possibilities past her. “Hmmm. I can take a look on Sunday when Dom and I come for dinner,” she replied.

We had planned a nice afternoon for my daughter and future son-in-law. Excitement built as Sunday got closer. “Sissy’s coming home!” I exclaimed to Star and Duke who meowed as if they understood. Our two boys purred and meowed and cuddled, excited to see their ‘sister’ and Dom.

“Want to eat now? Are you hungry?” I asked. “Let’s take a peek at Checkers’ feet first,” my daughter suggested. “Be right back,” I called to the guys. “This’ll only take a minute”.

Catching Checkers was a bit of a challenge. Especially with our rooster Doug darting around squawking and yelling and trying to run at us as we attempted to corner his favorite lady. We finally corralled him into the chicken run and shut the door. Once we got the treats out, all the girls, including Checkers, ran over to us and we scooped her right up. “Good girl,” my daughter cooed. “Here, you hold her so I can check her feet.” She carefully handed the hen to me and I cradled her in my arms, extending her left leg first and then her right so her feet could be examined. “What do you think?” I was certain that we could simply spread some kind of disinfectant over the wounds and that nature would take care of the rest. “We’ll need to take care of this now,” my daughter replied, her voice serious. “The bumps are little abscesses that have become infected.” I felt terrible. “This is my fault for not noticing sooner,” I thought to myself.

“Can you do that here? Do you know what to do?” I was amazed that she was willing to operate right then and there. “Sure, I’ve seen this type of procedure performed many times. I know exactly what to do.” The guys were called out into the yard and each tasked with a list of materials to gather. We took Checkers out of her yard and away from the others to keep everyone calm. Our picnic table served as the operating table. Tweezers, cotton swaps, disinfectant, warm water with Epsom salt and gauze were laid out. It took almost an hour. Checkers had a total of four infections, two on each foot. We were fortunate that the bumps were between her toes and not on the bottoms of her feet. And that we caught it when we did. The guys retrieved the small, temporary coop and placed it next to the big coop. We put Checkers in there so she could recover in peace for a few days.

After sanitizing and cleaning up, we warmed our now cold dinner, opened a nice bottle of wine, and I made a toast: “Here’s to you two,” I nodded to my daughter and Dom. “The best doctor and assistant in the county!” I also apologized. They had driven all the way up here for a pleasant and relaxing afternoon, only to spend it covered in goo! I dedicate this article to the wonderful, lovely, unselfish and so-much-fun-to-be around couple: my beautiful daughter and my caring, terrific soon-to-be son in law. Couldn’t be happier having you both in my life! Thanks!

Cindy Bezanson