Flock Health - Raising Poultry - page 400

Infections
Sometimes it's not a microorganism alone that causes the illness in your poultry flock,
but rather a bump or bruise, stress, or a lack of cleanliness that makes the bird suscept-
ible to infection. Bacteria that live on the bird at all times are great opportunists and
readily cause illness in areas of the bird already damaged or made vulnerable by stress
or injury.
Bumblefoot
Bumblefoot is a bacterial infection that results from some sort of bruising to the foot of
the bird. It is not a contagious disease, and the individual bird that displays symptoms
can be dealt with simply.
Bumblefoot, usually caused by a bruise, is treatable and curable.
Treatment
If you see a large swollen foot on your bird, you'll need to administer a little first aid.
Clean the bird's foot using an old toothbrush and clean water with a paper towel or old
rag. Then gather together a nice, sharp 20-gauge needle; a bottle of hydrogen peroxide;
a 3 ml syringe; a tube of topical antibiotic; gauze and tape; and paper towels or clean
rags. Follow the steps below to treat the bird.
Bumblefoot Procedure. Take the following steps to drain and clean a bumblefoot
infection and remove any foreign objects that have caused the problem in the first place.
1. Locate the spot on the foot where the swelling is most prominent.
2. Poke the peak of the protrusion with the needle, draining out all of the pus and
blood serum.
3. Look for a hard foreign object that may have caused the infection, such as a piece
of glass or twig.
4. Remove any foreign object.