What causes the footpad and/or top of the foot of a chicken to swell?
A common name for this condition is “bumble foot”. It is usually caused by two things: 1) presence of a certain type of bacteria (staphlaccocus) and 2) injury to the foot such as jumping off the roost and hitting a sharp object. The condition responds very poorly to drugs. The best treatment is to remove the birds showing the condition or to open the wound and treat with an antibiotic salve effective against staphlaccocus organisms, such as the type used to treat cow’s udders for mastitis.
