Soft Tissue Injury

[gummybear24]

I just recently went to the vet because our rooster was limping some, not crowing and tending to stay up in nesting box area unless brought down. They said they suspected a soft tissue injury. Does anyone know how long that takes to possibly heal. They gave him meloxicam for an anti inflammatory. He is not eating or drinking much unless I give it to him. They told me to watch for improvements over next 48 hours and if not better to bring back and would do further diagnostics. Any advice would be helpful. I am also putting some VetRx in the water.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

@azygous @Eggcessive @casportpony @KikisGirls can you guys help?

 

[Kiki]

What does the bottom of his feet look like?

Stop putting Vetrx in his water...it probably taste nasty and that is why he isn't drinking and it will do absolutely nothing for his leg.

 

[Kiki]

Can you post a short video of him walking on Youtube and link it here?

 

[Eggcessive]

Does he have swelling, bruising or any obvious injury to his foot, leg or hip? Does his foot pad have any scabs or swelling? Was he vaccinated for Mareks disease? Do you have another rooster who may have hurt him?

You may find that a chicken sling, fairly easy to make out of household items can be used to get him upright and in front of food and water. He can spend a couple of hours in it with frequent breaks to stretch and sleep, but it can keep him out of his droppings. Some chickens will struggle to get out of them, so watch for that. Here are some examples in post 5:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

Here is the basic design of legholes and a poop hole:

 

[azygous]

Baby aspirin given twice a day can help with pain and combat inflammation. So when the prescription runs out, you have a cheap alternative.

Have you examined his legs for scaly leg mites? Even an incipient case of mites can be quite painful. The treatment is thick oil such as castor oil slathered on the legs and feet, and it will give almost immediate relief.