8 week old pullet limping for past 5 days

[Pandang81]

Chances are this is simply an injury that should heal in a couple weeks. Try giving her half a chewable 81 grain aspirin twice a day for pain. See if that causes her to walk better on the leg.

But be aware that Marek's strikes at around this age and it most often begins with the sciatic nerve slowly becoming inflamed. If this is Marek's, the leg will become worse while she will be eating, pooping and behaving mostly normally.

This is how we determine if symptoms are pointing to a chronic incurable disease or something that will heal in time. An avian virus gets worse, not better. Most everything else heals given the right meds and time and will show gradual improvement.

@azygous @Wyorp Rock I’ve been chatting with her breeder who owns her mom & a sibling (she sold the rest of siblings ) and she says that she has no issues with illnesses or deaths with her chickens & gives them vitamin supplements so I’m inclined to believe it isn’t mareks or vitamin deficiency. I’m still going to supplement for a few days just in case. She recommended I soak her foot in epsom salt & then dry her feathers & give a drop of baby Tylenol? I have both aspirin and liquid baby Tylenol. Any suggestions on which? Epsom salt bath recommended ?

 

[azygous]

Any or all can't hurt.

 

[Pandang81]

Any or all can't hurt.

I’m hesitant on the foot bath because I don’t know how I’d do it without wetting her breast & other foot so basically a full bath…and I don’t want to upset her. She seems fragile & she’s only 8 weeks old.

 

[azygous]

How about rigging a little sling over a frame to rest on the wash tub to raise her body above the water?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Personally, I would give aspirin solution.
http://extension.msstate.edu/content/solutions-and-treatments

You mention she seems fragile - is she showing any other symptoms besides the limp?
Soaking the feet would be in shallow water, but she may get a bit wet. Just blow dry her afterward so she doesn't get chilled.

 

[Pandang81]

Personally, I would give aspirin solution.
http://extension.msstate.edu/content/solutions-and-treatments

You mention she seems fragile - is she showing any other symptoms besides the limp?
Soaking the feet would be in shallow water, but she may get a bit wet. Just blow dry her afterward so she doesn't get chilled.

Yes, this afternoon after supplementing her with 1/4 of b complex tablet a couple of hours later she began to have open mouth breathing. Still eating and drinking but sits and open mouth breaths now. She tried to get up a few times to walk but puts weight on that left leg and falls over so she sits.

 

[Pandang81]

Yes, this afternoon after supplementing her with 1/4 of b complex tablet a couple of hours later she began to have open mouth breathing. Still eating and drinking but sits and open mouth breaths now. She tried to get up a few times to walk but puts weight on that left leg and falls over so she sits.

Personally, I would give aspirin solution.
http://extension.msstate.edu/content/solutions-and-treatments

You mention she seems fragile - is she showing any other symptoms besides the limp?
Soaking the feet would be in shallow water, but she may get a bit wet. Just blow dry her afterward so she doesn't get chilled.

Actually no more open mouth breathing. She was open mouth breathing earlier but I just went into my garage & did a night check & she couldn’t see me sneak in & was happily preening herself & pecking at the ground. Seemed very at ease & comfortable & looked better than earlier today. Will the epsom salt soak help her foot/leg if it is truly a sprain? If not then I don’t want to chance spooking her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So she's stressing out being handled is what you're saying.

The soak can help reduce inflammation IF it's a sprain. Chicks can stress when they are taken away from their broodmates/flock, so often if I need to do something with one, I stay near where the others are. Sometimes that's not possible, especially when needing to cleanup/soak, etc. or if it's cold weather.
If you feel it's too stressful for her, then wait and see how it goes for a few days. A sprain can take time to heal but if it is sprained, then you should slowly see improvement too.

 

[Pandang81]

So she's stressing out being handled is what you're saying.

The soak can help reduce inflammation IF it's a sprain. Chicks can stress when they are taken away from their broodmates/flock, so often if I need to do something with one, I stay near where the others are. Sometimes that's not possible, especially when needing to cleanup/soak, etc. or if it's cold weather.
If you feel it's too stressful for her, then wait and see how it goes for a few days. A sprain can take time to heal but if it is sprained, then you should slowly see improvement too.

Yes, if I had to guess, I think she’s stressing when I handle her because I’m always moving her foot around looking at it or popping pills in her mouth. She seems better this morning. Ate very well & didn’t open mouth breath when she saw me. She tried to stand while eating which is an improvement from before but she still couldn’t quite manage it.

 

[Pandang81]

She seems slightly better today. Still cannot walk but when she tries she gets a few steps in before she falls over. Looking at the timeline I realized that the day she started limping was the day my 3 year old nephew & 6 year old niece were playing with them so it’s very possible she was injured that day. I noticed her limp that evening after they left.