My Chicken Has a Swollen Foot with a Black Scab — Bumblefoot Treatment
A swollen footpad with a black kernel-like scab is bumblefoot — a staph abscess from a small wound — very treatable, and worth treating before it reaches bone.
Most likely causes
Bumblefoot infection
What points to it: Limping plus a round black scab ('kernel') on the pad, swelling, warmth; caused by a splinter or hard landing that let staph in.
What to do: Early/mild: soak the foot in warm epsom water 10-15 min daily, soften and lift the scab edge, express the waxy core if it frees easily, pack with antiseptic (chlorhexidine/vetericyn), wrap with padding and vet wrap, repeat until healed. Established cases with a deep core: this is minor surgery — many keepers do it (sterile blade, patience, wrapping) but a vet visit is money well spent, especially first time.
Why it happened
What points to it: High roosts onto hard floors, gravelly or junk-strewn runs, splintery boards, heavy birds.
What to do: Prevention audit: lower roosts or deepen bedding beneath, smooth splinters, clear sharp debris, manage weight.
Check these first
Compare both feet (swelling is obvious side-by-side), grade it: flat black dot with no swelling = watch and soak; visible swelling = active treatment; a hot, ballooned foot or swelling climbing the leg = escalate.
When it's probably nothing
Stained or calloused pads without swelling or heat are cosmetic. Not every dark mark is a kernel — no swelling, no limp, no infection.
This guide is experienced-keeper guidance, not veterinary care. When a bird is crashing or a symptom is spreading, a poultry vet or your state extension lab is the right call — fast.
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