8 week old chick with something wrong with its leg

[Georgetownchick]

I have an 8 week old chick who is free ranging during the day with 25 other hens and chicks. Lives in a hen house at night. This morning when I let them out I noticed she was limping. I picked her up and she has her leg and foot drawn up close to her body. She moves around but keeps that leg drawn up and won't weight bear on it. Looks like she has a scab on the leg as well. The other chickens would not let her eat so I brought her inside and put her in a cage that I have with some pine shavings. She drank and I fed her a scrambled egg which she ate all of. I also gave her some pol-sol baby vitamins. She is resting quietly but is alert. I tried feeling both legs to see if I could tell if there was a break or something but I can't tell. Is there anything else I should be doing for her? She was fine yesterday so I don't know when she got injured.

 

[BantamLover21]

I have an 8 week old chick who is free ranging during the day with 25 other hens and chicks. Lives in a hen house at night. This morning when I let them out I noticed she was limping. I picked her up and she has her leg and foot drawn up close to her body. She moves around but keeps that leg drawn up and won't weight bear on it. Looks like she has a scab on the leg as well. The other chickens would not let her eat so I brought her inside and put her in a cage that I have with some pine shavings. She drank and I fed her a scrambled egg which she ate all of. I also gave her some pol-sol baby vitamins. She is resting quietly but is alert. I tried feeling both legs to see if I could tell if there was a break or something but I can't tell. Is there anything else I should be doing for her? She was fine yesterday so I don't know when she got injured.

Could you post a photo? Is the scab on the underside of the foot, and is the foot swollen/hot at all? Without seeing a photo, it sounds like it could be bumblefoot, which is an infection in the foot pad of poultry caused by bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. Bumblefoot often occurs after the foot is injured/punctured by something, and then bacteria invade. Symptoms of bumblefoot include a swollen foot or feet with a black scab on the underside. The affected bird will limp, and the swelling my be warm.

Depending on the severity of the infection, treatment for bumblefoot can include soaking the foot in Epsom salts, injecting an antibiotic like Penicillin into the foot, or removing the pus core surgically. To avoid bumblefoot, try to avoid sharp beddings, such as wood chips, keep the coop clean to prevent bacteria build-up, and don't put the roosts too high above the ground so that birds don't drive their feet into objects when jumping down.

If the scab is on the leg (not on the bottom of the foot), then it is likely that your chick got injured by something. Could she have snagged herself on anything sharp? Could the other chickens be picking on her? I would soak the foot in warm water, try to get the scab off so you can see the wound better, and then put some antibiotic ointment (nothing that contains "caine" ingredients) on the wound. If possible, keep the chick isolated from the other birds until the wound heals up. Other than that, there isn't much you can do. I would just make sure she eats and drinks, keep her comfortable, and hope for the best.

Hope I've helped! And that your chick recovers.