Holly, what a wonderful thing to turn up in my email notifications! That's such an awesome article, Clare is a great writer!

I meant to keep you all updated more frequently than this.  I thought my schedule would slow down during the summer, but I'm working twice the hours instead...anyway. This is going to be a bit lengthy.

Uno's bumblefoot has worsened. I'm feeling discouraged, to be honest, but I'd feel even more so if he seemed to notice it in any way. Part of it is that he insisted for a little while on roosting at night, which was definitely rough on his foot, and the roughest part was just jumping up there, so even though I went and got him on the ground again, it wasn't that helpful. (Someone save me from overly ambitious chickens...) He finally gave up on that idea, but not before we got this:

That is full-on bumblefoot. Right on his darn middle toe which is now permanently at a right angle, so the boots will not fit him. 

The Musher's Secret stuff helps prevent further sores and keep his skin soft, which is important to prevent splitting. (That usually doesn't happen, but it can.) The Epsom salt soaks have helped keep it smallish, too. 

A few days ago I removed the plug. The good news is: no puss!! Just good clean blood. Big plugs and little pus are way easier to deal with than tiny plugs with tons of pus. I put Neosporin on it and (don't laugh) also a band-aid:

He tolerated it surprisingly well, but it did not last long (long enough for a scab to form, at least). Now there's a used band-aid somewhere in my yard. Hopefully no one decides to eat it.

Other news: he really does not seem to notice having bumblefoot. He is very fast and agile (only myself and one other person can catch him, if he doesn't want to be caught). 

His spur on his good leg is growing in. I hope he doesn't inherit his dad's spurs because his dad's are super long and curl back almost to his legs. He's already wiggly during foot care and I don't need a 3-inch stab weapon attached to his leg.

Also, he gets along with everyone great! Babies, grumpy old matriarchs, other roosters, the gossipy middle-aged ladies that make up most of our flock. About the only ones who don't really like him are the younger girls, and that's because they're all fawning over Mo, who is quite the ladies' man. (Mo is the center of soap opera-like drama in our flock.) Nobody bullies Uno. Here he is with the flock:

And letting me know that it's too hot out:

He does! Although not as much as he used to. I've noticed roosters tend to be a little more independent than hens that way, even though they often like to hang out nearer to people than the hens do. But yes, he still does cuddle. Mostly he's just reluctant to be picked up when he knows he's in for some fiddling with feet. (And somehow, he always knows...)

Oh my goodness Sally, they are TOO CUTE! I definitely have a weakness for feathered creatures. Although, I don't think the chickens would approve.

CrazyK Farm hasn't emailed me back yet about the boot, so I sent another email. Their website does say "custom Birdie Booties are hand-made to order in the USA" so they should be able to work with me on this. Maybe the email got lost?

Anyhow, if I still don't get a response, I might just order a regular one. I'm thinking if I cut the toe sleeves off, it might fit him, and then the main part of his foot would have some protection. I could probably even keep the bumblefoot covered, since his middle toe curves mostly distal to the infection. (No change in the bumblefoot, by the way!)