6m old rooster limping and unable to walk well

[catmage]

My lavender orpington rooster, Clover, is between 5 and 6 months old. He is limping on his right side. Yesterday morning he was fine, I did not see him yesterday afternoon but then found him in the coop in the corner laying down. When I tried to get him up I noticed he couldn't walk well and decided to bring him inside.
He is limping on his right leg. I do not see any injuries and he allows me to touch him all over without acting in pain. I do not see any bumblefoot. He is eating a little. I have not seen him drink water. He is also pooping.
His comb his red.
When he lays down he kind of shifts his weight so that he is not laying on the right.
He is in a crate right now in my storage room with food and water. He is eating pellets, but not voraciously as a normal chicken would. He is also eating a favorite treat: blueberries.

All other my other chickens are acting normal.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Two thoughts. He jumped down and injured his leg somehow, and he will improve within a couple of days (check for broken bones or disjointed limb).

Or Marek's. It's about the right age. Sorry.

There a great thread on Marek's here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[catmage]

Thank you for the link!

He actually did take a bad fall about a week ago. He flew down from the roost right into the door and then rolled down the entrance ramp. He's never been very graceful. He was fine afterwards. I don't know if he could have issues a week later from that fall? But it could be possible, I suppose?

I read on here about giving chickens baby aspirin for pain. I am going to go get some and see if it helps him any.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

May be brain swelling from injury with that fall, or muscular/joint swelling. Check that both pupils are equal and reactive to light. See if the aspirin helps.

LofMc

 

[Shezadandy]

A hen's friend presented with much the same in terms of symptoms. I could feel something a little off but it was subtle - She took the hen to the vet at my urging for an x-ray and it was a broken femur. Vet's suggested treatment was containment in a crate - no wraps or sling, no chicken chair, but containment for 3 weeks on a surface with good traction to avoid further damage. Hopefully it's a reasonably simple thing.

His appetite will improve after some aspirin if it is indeed a break or sprain - it's hard to want to eat when in pain.

 

[catmage]

He's still the same today.
His pupils are acting normally.
He is eating and drinking, but his poop has a green tinge to it so I don't think he's drinking enough. He's also trying to preen.
I will keep doing what I'm doing and if he doesn't show an improvement, I will take him to the vet.
I gave him 1/2 of a baby aspirin and it seemed like he was eating more than when he didn't take it.

 

[Shezadandy]

He's still the same today.
His pupils are acting normally.
He is eating and drinking, but his poop has a green tinge to it so I don't think he's drinking enough. He's also trying to preen.
I will keep doing what I'm doing and if he doesn't show an improvement, I will take him to the vet.
I gave him 1/2 of a baby aspirin and it seemed like he was eating more than when he didn't take it.

Keep him as comfy as you can. Don't be afraid to wet down his usual crumble or pellet feed- they seem to love that with warm water... and just make sure he's got good traction. =)

 

[Nanoo Logoo]

I highly recommend CBD oil to combat pain, inflammation and anxiety. Our hen with terminal tumor got 5 weeks of quality life when there was “nothing” to be done. (Vets in Calif. are not legally allowed to discuss CBD oil.) We get it at the feed store.

 

[catmage]

Just a little update since it has been about a week since I last posted. He is still the same for the most part. I have noticed he is much more talkative the past couple of days and he is also trying to stand up now. He's eating two boiled eggs a day as well as a small selection of fruits and veggies that I have on hand and crumbles (I noticed that he was only eating the smaller pellets, so I decided to give crumbles a try. He eats them easily) . I have been giving him water with added chicken vitamins. I guess we just wait and see if he heals up from whatever's wrong.

If he had marek's he would have deteriorated by now, right? I've been reading other's first hand experiences and it seems they go down fast.