Chicken Foot Ailment

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Question:

Chicken Foot Ailment: My hen has dark roundish hard balls on the ends of her toes on the right foot.

I've put her foot in water thinking it was a build up of mud but it is quite firm. What is it and how do I help her get rid of it?

Answer:
This may be the beginnings of a disease. There is a avian pox that creates blistery growths in areas where there are no feathers.

She may have been the subject of a more dominant chicken pecking at her toes causing irritation, wounds and swelling.

It's possible she stood on a hot piece of metal, in the heat of the day, and these balls are little blisters that will heal.

I would highly recommend separating this chicken from the rest, keeping her away from all other poultry, not just chickens.

Some diseases can be spread by wild birds through droppings or even through the bite of a mosquito that bit an infected bird,and then bit your chicken.

For a certain diagnosis you would really need the help of an experienced avian veterinarian. If this is a pox, it's better to know and cull her, to prevent the spread of a contagious disease to other poultry and wild birds.

Treating the foot with an antibiotic spray and watching for healing should tell you if this is just some kind of injury to her foot, while you see if you can find a vet to diagnose her. Hope this helps.

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