My rooster has swollen legs

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Angelo2014

Angelo2014

In the Brooder
5 Years
Jun 15, 2014
14
8
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Angelo, my Leghorn rooster, is about seventeen weeks old. He has limped since he was very young, and for a while his right leg was noticeably bigger than the other. Besides the limping, he acts healthy and alert, although he spends most of his time laying down. Recently, however, both legs have become swollen, and he has even more trouble walking.

Does anyone know what might have caused this? Could it be a problem that he was born with?


We have tried to check if his legs felt warm (if it was an infection) , but they are not.

 
I have never seen anything like that before. How does the comb look? Pale or purple? I wonder if it is a heart or circulatory defect. Other than that I'm stumped.
 
Welcome to BYC. That is odd. Are his legs hard or is the swelling soft and puffy? There is a condition I know very little about that I recall someone having similar to yours called osteopetrosis which is a symptom of avian leukosis. Here is a link about it, and below that is a link from The Poultry Site:
http://www.askjpc.org/vspo/show_page.php?id=242

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341.342.Osteopetrosis is a neoplastic disease, aetiologically related to the L/S group of viruses. It is characterized by a significant thickening of bone periosteum. The diaphyses of the tibia and/or tarsometatarsal bones are most commonly affected. Often, osteopetrosis is seen simultaneously with LL in the same bird.
 
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I have a 2.5 year old Brown Leghorn rooster whose legs are swollen exactly like this. They've been noticeably swollen for at least 8 months, but he recently started limping, so I took him to an avian vet today. The vet never mentioned osteopetrosis, but reading these threads on BYC, I'm sure this is what my rooster has. Angelo2014 or anyone else who has dealt with osteopetrosis, can you give me an update on how your chicken has dealt with this disorder?

I think my vet visit was a waste of money. The vet wasn't sure what caused the swelling in my rooster's legs, said maybe it was an infection that had gotten into his bones, so he prescribed an antibiotic and pain reliever. He also mentioned euthanasia, which is how I think this may end.
 
If your Leghorn rooster has avian osteopetrosis (AOP), it is extremely important for you to separate him from the rest of the flock - AOP is virally induced and can spread easily. He is unlikely to recover (his legs will always be thick because he has made extra bone there, it isn't a fluid swelling or soft-tissue swelling). However, some other people on this forum have had birds live with AOP for several months or up to a year with condition (it limits mobility but as you say, the birds are otherwise healthy).

I am a biologist who does research on this disease and will contact you offlist with some questions.
 
swerning said:
If your Leghorn rooster has avian osteopetrosis (AOP), it is extremely important for you to separate him from the rest of the flock - AOP is virally induced and can spread easily. He is unlikely to recover (his legs will always be thick because he has made extra bone there, it isn't a fluid swelling or soft-tissue swelling). However, some other people on this forum have had birds live with AOP for several months or up to a year with condition (it limits mobility but as you say, the birds are otherwise healthy).

I am a biologist who does research on this disease and will contact you offlist with some questions.
Click to expand...
Is there a place that we can find some trusted information on this? I am trying to learn more to see if this is what we are dealing with as well
 
Ehogeland said:
Is there a place that we can find some trusted information on this? I am trying to learn more to see if this is what we are dealing with as well
Click to expand...
@swerning, the poster above, was studying osteopetrosis back a few years ago. I don’t think she has posted for a few years. It is a type of lymphoid leukosis virus, and also called marble leg disease. There is not a whole lot of information available about osteopetrosis which is one strain of leukosis, but here is some reading about lymphoid leukosis virus which causes tumors:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/neoplasms/lymphoid-leukosis-in-poultry

https://www.thepoultrysite.com/disease-guide/avian-leukosis-lymphoid-leukosis-leukosis-sarkoma-group
 

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