How to Prevent Bumblefoot in Poultry

Bumblefoot (ulcerative pododermatitis) is a bacterial infection and inflammatory reaction on the feet of birds, rodents, and rabbits. Pododermatitis is referred to as "sore hocks" when it affects a rabbit and "bumblefoot" when it affects a bird. We centralise our discussion on birds as it majorly affect male, heavy birds. Bumblefoot is a common infection for domesticated poultry and waterfowl such as chickens, ducks and quails.

Causes

Injury to the lower surface of the foot due to walking on rough perches, splinters, wired floors, and poor litter of bedding quality; then infected with staphylococcus bacteria.

In other words, constant walking on hard, rough, or sharp surfaces, birds can develop small wounds on the bottom of their feet. These wounds are very susceptible to infection by opportunistic bacterial pathogens, chiefly Staphylococcus aureus.

Signs

Some of the major signs are lameness, swelling of the foot pad and hard, pus filled abscess on the foot pad.

During the early stages of bumblefoot, it may initially appear as a small, superficial lesion, rough abrasion, or mild discolouring of the foot. However, once there is a breakdown in the skin barrier, it provides a direct opening for opportunistic bacteria to enter and cause infection. Once the foot is infected, chickens may often begin to show slight behavioural changes (associated with onset of pain caused by the infection), and varying degrees of lameness.

Bumblefoot Grades

Grade 1: Loss of definition of the epidermis (seen as a shiny, reddened surface or small lesion), with no apparent underlying infection.

Grade 2: Infection of underlying tissues in direct contact with the surface lesion with no gross swelling.

Grade 3: Abscess state; infection with serous or caseous fluid draining from a fibrotic lesion.

Grade 4: Infection with swelling of underlying tissues involving deep vital structures. Usually a chronic wound at this stage, which may or may not be concurrently causing tenosynovitis, arthritis, and/or osteomyelitis.

Grade 5: Crippling deformity and loss of function.

Prevention

Some of the preventive measures are:

·       Provide a quality, clean, dry and deep litter.

·       Keep perches less than 18 inches from the floor to prevent foot damage due to impact of jumping.

·       Remove potential sources of injury like sharp objects and surfaces.

Treatment

Follow the steps below to treat Pododermatitis in chickens.

·       Soak foot in warm water and Epsom salts.

·       Clean the affected area with soap and warm water, then disinfect with spirit (ethanol).

·       If skin is open, drain pus from abscess. Use a sterile scalpel or disinfected blade to cause small opening if there is no break in the foot.

·       Flush the abscess cavity with hydrogen peroxide to clean out pus and debris.

·       Pack the cavity with antibiotic ointment and wrap the foot with gauze and elastic bandage. Repeat daily until the foot heals.

In summary, treatment often requires opening the wound to drain the pus, soaking it in Epsom salts, and antibiotic treatment and local application of the antiseptic povidone-iodine as local dressing.