Leg Injury - Amelia

We have a 2 year old Rhode Island Red Hybrid by the name of Amelia (we named her after Amelia Earhart).

We noticed she was limping at morning feeding yesterday. We watched her for about 30 minutes. She was literally almost walking in circles. Somehow she had hurt her left leg and was not putting much weight on it at all. She wobbled when trying to walk straight and would walk in circles. She allowed me to walk right up to her and pick her up. While this isn't unusual as we coddle our ladies and hold them quite often she just laid there, not reacting at all, which caused me a bit of concern.

We immediately isolated her and have kept her in isolation since. She had food, water and clean bedding (pine shavings). I held her and my wife checked her foot and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Amelia is able to grip ok with her left foot but the grip is not as strong as her right foot. The issue is that she doesn't like to put much/if any weight on her left leg. When she lays down she puts most of her weight on her right side.

She is eating, drinking and pooping and loves being held while she is inside with us.

Thus far we have not given her any antibiotics, vitamins and have not provided a bath. The only thing my wife noticed yesterday was that she had a redness on the back of her leg at the joint but the joint is not hot and does not appear infected. It looks scraped - not gashed.

I will be attaching a few pics for review and am hopeful that maybe one of you that has a bit more experience than we do can help with a prognosis/treatment, etc. I am concerned that she may have dislocated something and I am just not catching it or she simply has a limp and we are over reacting.









Any help you can give would be much appreciated.

Is she still walking in circles? Sometimes that can be a symptom of wry neck from a head injury. If she isn't doing that now, she may have sprained her leg jumping or falling. Rest in a small pen or dog crate with food and water, preferably inside the coop with her friends would be good to do for a couple of weeks to force rest. Some poultry vitamins or BComplex tablets in her water would be good.

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Many thanks for your reply. Amelia is not walking in circles and is isolated in our den in a small crate in our den. She seems perfectly happy, eats, drinks and poops and loves to be held. She can grip with the foot but does not like to put a lot of weight on the leg. Although some times I see her take a tentative step or two but then goes right back to standing on one leg prior to laying down on her right side. I don't guess she could walk at all on a dislocated leg could she? Given that the isolation area we have set up is in the house I will keep her isolated for the next week or two to see how she does and force rest on her. She is one tough lady and I hope she makes it. She is one of our favorite birds. One consequence is that the pecking order will be all out of sorts as she was our top girl in the pen. Will also try your suggestion of the vitamins. Is there a brand you recommend for a 2 year old lady? Many thanks for your reply.

Rooster Booster Vitamins With Lactobacillus is pretty good, and there are some other brands found at most feed stores that go in the water. One BComplex tablet dissolved in a gallon of water would also work.

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I will go get the Rooster Booster or another comparable vitamin asap. I appreciate you taking time to respond.

I purchased the Rooster Booster several days ago and have started giving her the vitamins. We will keep her in the "healing area" separated from the rest of the flock (and resting in our living room) for another week. She is now putting a bit of weight on her leg and taking a few tentative steps. Appreciate your feedback and help!

I am happy to read she seemed a bit improved. I have a hen that isn't walking either. It seems to be her right leg. She is a buff Orpington and a big girl so she can't hold her weight on one leg.

She tries to get up some, but starts to fall over. I have her in the house. Her comb is very red and she is eating, drinking, pooping just fine.

She will let me rub/check her joints and I don't really feel anything or can find the tender spot.
I hope she gets better soon. She is my favorite.

Keep posting so I can compare.

Thanks
Marlene

That is great news that she is putting some weight on her leg now. If you have a dog crate that fits into the coop, you can try transitioning her back into the flock in that. If it is very cold where you live, a heat lamp might be in order for a day or two if you have electric in the coop. Let us know how she recovers.

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Hi Marlene - I had Amelia (also my favorite) in a crate for over a week. During that time I provided vitamins in her water and kept her from moving around too much. Most of the time she bedded down and rested. As she healed she would walk a bit more but I kept her inside for 3 additional days to ensure that she would have the mobility needed when I reintroduced her to the flock. I followed the advice of keeping my bird confined. Keeping your lady confined and ensuring the leg in question isn't actually paralyzed/not just hurt is important. If the leg is injured, but not paralyzed, you don't see cuts, feel broken bones or notice a dislocation most of the people I have communicated with suggest keeping an injured bird separated in a small area to limit movement and to allow her to rest without having to compete with your other birds for food or water. I always bring my injured birds in side as the temperature is more controlled and I have better access to make sure they are not in distress. Finally - you may need to see a vet if you don't notice improvement after several days. For now I would suggest keeping her confined to a separate area and making sure that she has food and water. We have Buffs as well and they are extremely resilient (and some of the most gentle birds we have). Rest and low activity level should help with the healing process. Vitamins also help - but make sure you give the appropriate amounts. Final update on Amelia. We are reintroducing her to the flock as she is no longer limping and has her mobility back. Amelia was out of the flock for a about a week and a half. While I knew she was a bit lonely during her hospitalization she did better alone near food and water as she didn't have to move on her injured leg to get food or drink. Please let us know if we can help in any way. We know how scary it can be when one of our family members is sick or hurt. My wife and I are extremely grateful for this site and the folks on it. The folks here have taught us lots and are great resources. Hope your lady gets better quickly.

Quote:
Hi Marlene - I had Amelia (also my favorite) in a crate for over a week. During that time I provided vitamins in her water and kept her from moving around too much. Most of the time she bedded down and rested. As she healed she would walk a bit more but I kept her inside for 3 additional days to ensure that she would have the mobility needed when I reintroduced her to the flock. I followed the advice of keeping my bird confined. Keeping your lady confined and ensuring the leg in question isn't actually paralyzed/not just hurt is important. If the leg is injured, but not paralyzed, you don't see cuts, feel broken bones or notice a dislocation most of the people I have communicated with suggest keeping an injured bird separated in a small area to limit movement and to allow her to rest without having to compete with your other birds for food or water. I always bring my injured birds in side as the temperature is more controlled and I have better access to make sure they are not in distress. Finally - you may need to see a vet if you don't notice improvement after several days. For now I would suggest keeping her confined to a separate area and making sure that she has food and water. We have Buffs as well and they are extremely resilient (and some of the most gentle birds we have). Rest and low activity level should help with the healing process. Vitamins also help - but make sure you give the appropriate amounts. Final update on Amelia. We are reintroducing her to the flock as she is no longer limping and has her mobility back. Amelia was out of the flock for a about a week and a half. While I knew she was a bit lonely during her hospitalization she did better alone near food and water as she didn't have to move on her injured leg to get food or drink. Please let us know if we can help in any way. We know how scary it can be when one of our family members is sick or hurt. My wife and I are extremely grateful for this site and the folks on it. The folks here have taught us lots and are great resources. Hope your lady gets better quickly.