Feathered chick has really badly bruised legs/feet

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mustangrooster

mustangrooster

Songster
Mar 2, 2016
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A little on the crazy side.
Hi all,

One of my 4 week old chickens, have very badly bruised feet. When Olive was 3 weeks old i noticed she had purple swelling in her hock. However, she (Thinking it’s a she….no red in comb) had no trouble in walking so I left it.

Now, she has really bruised up greeny/black looking feet and legs! It looks horrible, I’ve never seen anything like it. Its not affecting her what-so-ever but it doesn’t look good.

I’ve tried searching up her problem, but have not found anything yet.

Ideas?

Thanks,

-Mustang
 
She is in with other 5-3 day old chicks and her sister. I have just noticed that a 5 day old chick that came from the same mother as Olive has a similar thing going on with her little feet.........

I will take some photos now.
 
Well, it looks like bruising to me, as something is pecking her or she is hurting herself. And in the last pic it looks like a peck wound or injury.
 
I can't really tell on the last pics of Laika, but the pictures of Olive's legs look like normal pigment changes in a breed that has blue or green legs. You didn't mention her breed, but given that she's acting normal, I would guess you are just seeing changes in her pigment as she matures.
 
She is a mixed breed, who is meant to have white/yellow legs....her parents have white/yellow legs, her sister has white/yellow legs and she had white/yellow legs before......

I dont see how she could be hurting herself either.
 
It really is a mystery about the bruising. It could be something else rare in chickens, but I haven't seen anything like that in almost 7 years of reading posts on this thread. A bleeding disorder or vitamin K problem could be something to think about, but it might be dangerous to give her vit. K if that is not the problem. I would spend more time watching their behavior if possible. Could you post a picture of their brooder or coop set-up. Sometimes pictures help. I have seen some dark spots on legs in pictures of Mareks online, but the spots look darker and more spread out.More often the feather follicles become enlarged with small tumors. Here are some Mareks pictures below, but I really don't think that Mareks is her problem, just bruising.

MD-021A%20x750.jpg
MD-020A%20x750.jpg
 
@mustangrooster I was looking at some of the other threads you have started recently. Did any other chickens in your flock have any respiratory illness/symptoms similar what your cockerel had? Runny eyes, facial swelling, mucous, coughing, sneezing, lethargy, etc.?

Did this chick have any respiratory symptoms?

Since this chick was hatched by you - it possible the leg/hock swelling could be caused by Mycoplasma synoviae. Mycoplasmas are transmitted vertically and horizontally, so the chick may actually have been born with this. Sometimes antibiotic treatment is somewhat effective, but you may want to have some testing performed to see exactly what the cause of the swelling is.

Contact your vet or local state lab about testing or sometimes you can send a sample to an independent lab. This will hopefully give you some answers.

Just my thoughts.

One of your recent threads: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1148678/lump-under-cockerels-eye



http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/mycoplasmosis/mycoplasma-synoviae-infection-in-poultry
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/99/mycoplasma-synoviae-infection-ms-infectious-synovitis/


Necropsy and State labs
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

Independent lab testing:
http://www.zoologix.com/
 
Last edited:
Wyorp Rock said:
@mustangrooster I was looking at some of the other threads you have started recently. Did any other chickens in your flock have any respiratory illness/symptoms similar what your cockerel had? Runny eyes, facial swelling, mucous, coughing, sneezing, lethargy, etc.?

Did this chick have any respiratory symptoms?

Since this chick was hatched by you - it possible the leg/hock swelling could be caused by Mycoplasma synoviae. Mycoplasmas are transmitted vertically and horizontally, so the chick may actually have been born with this. Sometimes antibiotic treatment is somewhat effective, but you may want to have some testing performed to see exactly what the cause of the swelling is.

Contact your vet or local state lab about testing or sometimes you can send a sample to an independent lab. This will hopefully give you some answers.

Just my thoughts.

One of your recent threads: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1148678/lump-under-cockerels-eye



http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/mycoplasmosis/mycoplasma-synoviae-infection-in-poultry
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/99/mycoplasma-synoviae-infection-ms-infectious-synovitis/


Necropsy and State labs
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

Independent lab testing:
http://www.zoologix.com/
Click to expand...
Well, if you’ve seen the threads about my cockerel who supposedly had cocci then you’ll understand this a bit.


I’ve had a few birds die lately, including a turkey. I haven’t had a death from my birds in a bit, but im very on edge with a few of my birds.
Yes, I have had lethargy, sneezing, pale faces, especially on my Ancona Rooster.

There has been very runny poos from some of my young birds and older ones. One day I’ll see a chicken with a worriedly pale comb and face, the next day its red again.

I don’t know what to do about it all!

No, the chick has not exactly had respiratory symptoms, nor the other two from the same hen (s)

Olives sister (Kai) I just noticed is getting the exact same thing…..its very dark like Olives on the legs and its going down to the feet. Olive and Kais sister Laika is getting basically the same thing as Olive. Its all on her legs and is going down to her feet. She is under a week old.

Heres another thing, these 3 are from unhealthy hens.

I have 3 of them- all sisters. Very dirty, have been lethargic and pale in the faces etc but they have been dirty looking and look like they are stuck in mid molt for about 3 years. I can’t seem to fix them.

They lay eggs that are different every time, they can be really large, misshaped, delicate shells, and there’s one girl that lays shell-less eggs every afternoon.

They are strange hens.

When they were reasonably healthy looking I set their eggs, I think that was a mistake.

Mycoplasma synoviae? I’ve never heard of it until now. Hmmm…….it could be it.

Oh that “Lump under cockerels eye” that poor thing died not too long ago, I lost him either on the same day I lost another one of my cockerels or the day after that.

Thanks for all the links, I will look into it.
 

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