9 week old Buff

davef72

In the Brooder
Mar 2, 2015
82
6
41
East Texas
One of my 9 week old Buff Orpingtons appears to be favoring her right leg. I inspected her thoroughly to check for a broken leg and noticed nothing. When I watch her walk, she favors this leg, but her other leg also appears to be turned to the right as well.

Is this a possible birth defect? Has anyone on here ever had this happen to one of their pullets?

Her appetite is fine & she seems to be doing well, getting around on it & holding her own with the other eleven girls.
I have noticed her size is smaller & she is not growing like the other girls.

Any recommendations?
 
Leg bone deformities are common in chickens. Varus valgus deformity, where the legs are bowed out or knock kneed inward can include one or both legs. Tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) is another type. Many can cause the rupture of the hock tendon. Hopefully, she has just suffered an injury to her leg. I had a hen attacked by a dog recently who limped and turned her leg inward, but she finally healed and is walking normally. I would add vitamins and trace minerals to her water or food, and let her rest the leg with confinement for a week or two to see if it helps.
Here are some links to read about leg problems:
https://www.researchgate.net/public..._of_the_intertarsal_joint_in_broiler_chickens
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1051/leg-health-in-large-broilers/
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/220/slipped-tendon-perosis/
https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry
 

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