Hen has red (sore looking) feet any possible causes? ?

Question

I have 7 hens in total who all roost together (so I know it's not red mite) but one of them has got red sore looking feet, they don't seem to cause her any discomfort but I wondered if anyone had any suggestions as to what it might be and any possible treatments / remedies?

Answer 1

i have buff orpington chickens and thier feet turn red when they are mad or uncomfortable, maybe she is one?

Answer 2

Could be a fungal infection if her feet have been damp a bit although this does normally affect all the hens not just an individual. Sort of Athlete's foot for chickens!

If she doesn't seem to be in any pain and the feet aren't bleeding or cracking then it could be a fungal infection.

This can occur if the bedding is damp or the ground is wet for long periods [as it has been here] and the feet don't get a chance to dry out properly.

One of my Leghorns had this and I discovered that she wasn't perching on one of the roosting bars in the coop at night but was actually laying on the floor of the coop which was directly underneath where one of the other hens pooped so her feet were not drying out properly and were becoming not only wet but slightly burned from the fecal matter, I regularly change all the flooring material but because of where she laid it was still damp.

I solved it by putting a flower pot directly under the perching hen and this stopped my leghorn from laying in that particular spot and she eventually found another roosting bar and now uses that.

For treatment I would bathe the area in a gentle disinfecting solution. I use 1/10 mix of Savlon with water and dry the feet thoroughly. I also use a few drops of aromatherapy oils like essential oils of Lavender, Tea Tree and Thyme in bathing water as these are 100% natural and very powerful antiseptic, anti viral and anti-fungal properties. Lavender is also a natural sedative and this may help keep the hen calm when you are treating her feet and she isn't that used to being handled.

I'd then first try an antiseptic cream for nappy rash as I've found that this works well on tons of little injuries and as it is gentle enough for babies it doesn't have any adverse affect on the hens...well it hasn't on mine. Don't apply too much otherwise you get dust, dirt and mud sticking to the feet, a light application well rubbed in [while wearing gloves of course] will do fine.

If there's no improvement after 3-4 days and you think it may be a fungal infection then I'd try adding a tiny amount of Athletes Foot cream to the Baby cream again say just about a tenth AF cream to 9 parts Baby cream [again bathing first in light disinfectant solution and drying the feet really well first].

Failing that it could just be that she has developed red feet!

I have kept hens for years and find that virtually all problems can be resolved without a costly trip to the vet but obviously if she looks as though she is in pain or the others show any sign at all of developing similar glowing red feet then I'd suggest that's your next port of call!

Hope that is of some help

Lisa-Dawn

Answer 3

perhaps they are blisters due to the fact that the ground that she lives on is not comfortable enugh, or its just how she was born, if it looks irritating it may be a parisite or fungal infection and u may want it to get looked at

Answer 4

well, even though it doesn't seem like it bothers your pet, it should be taken to the vet.