5 month old pullet limping for one week now a second one started limping too. Help!

[Baileyje]

I am new to chickens and need your help.. I have 5 five month old pullets. Last Sunday I noticed one of my barred rocks was limping. I didn't see any scratches, lesions, redness, swelling etc on either leg or foot. She is still not wanting to put pressure on her left leg. She is eating and drinking. The other birds are not picking on her. She mostly lays in one spot for most of the day. She was vaccinated for Marecks as a chick. I have added electrolytes to the water and today gave some vitamin B per some posts i read on here. I figured she injured leg/foot somehow and I was giving her time to rest and heal, but today when I checked on the birds I noticed that my silver-laced Wyandotte was holding her left up and starting to limp. That's when I started to freak out! Also, our roosts I think are too small so from research on this site I'm switching them out with 2x4s. Could the roosts have contributed? Any ideas what might be going on? Ideas on what I should do? Also, I don't think it's bumblefoot as the pads of their feet look ok. Please help! I would hate to lose these birds. Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. How high are your roosts? Is there a lot of activity with your chickens, or do you have a rooster? It is possible to get Mareks after a vaccination, but seems strange for 2 chickens to show up with symptoms at once. I hope it is just a sprain or hurt leg in both, but I would try researching Mareks to know what symptoms to look for. Confining these two chickens to a large or separate cages would be best. Set food and water close by for them to reach it. Rest the legs for a week, and check to see if they are any better with rest. Here is some info to read about Mareks:
http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/502

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are 2 more links:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/741957/not-an-emergency-mareks-in-the-flock

 

[Baileyje]

Thank you for the links. I was just told the chance of it being Merecks with being vaccinated us very small. Hmmm.. One roost is close to three feet off the ground and the other one about five feet. I are those heights ok? We do not have a rooster as we are in city limits. The birds all get along and I've only seen minimal pecking. Thanks for any and all advise!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would lower them if possible, although I know it's not always possible. Five feet is a bit high for large hens, not bad for banties. You might see a lot of bumble foot with higher roosts, and I sure hope the girls just have sprains.

 

[seminolewind]

Did you get all three at the same time? Have you had chickens before? Do any of your neighbors have chickens?

It sounds like Marek's, but the flock history does not sound like Marek's.

 

[Baileyje]

Eggcesive- I measured the roosts and they are actually about 2.5 and 3.5 feet off the ground.
Seminolewind- I did get all five chickens at the same time. They were two days old. I have never had chickens before. Our neighbors, two houses away do have chickens.

 

[seminolewind]

I hope they stop limping. I asked about other chickens because I wanted to see if there was any way they could have caught something, and if they're not injured and caught something, it could possibly be from neighbor chickens, or birds that go between the yards.

 

[Baileyje]

Just an update: The first limping bird, for eight days now, is showing some improvement. She will stand on both legs for a few minutes then will squat back down on her knees?,whereas before she wouldn't bear weight on it at all. She is still eating and drinking and laid an egg yesterday, I'm not sure if she laid one today though. The second bird is still just barely limping, no squatting or laying around. We changed out the perches to 2x4s, flat side up. I guess I continue to wait and see. I didn't realize how much there was to keeping chickens. I'm learning more every day! Thank you.

 

[seminolewind]

I hope they continue to improve!