Are we just horribly unlucky? Another problem: please advise...

[SeaChick]

Ok, all you chicken people... does anyone have any suggestions?

Pheobe just started limping!!! She is plainly favoring one leg (but then -I thought for sure, now not so sure- it seemed she favored the other leg for a few minutes and then switched back to the first!!)

She is very tame so we examined her foot and leg closely, there is nothing visible. I also probed around her thigh area but no reaction.

We can't take any more problems in our dear chickens! Why all these issues? Is it because they're pets so we watch them all the time and notice things that a farmer might not? Are we doing something terribly wrong? Or just super unlucky?

OK, I have a couple thoughts.

1) Is it possible that being egg-bound causes limping? She has been laying every day recently but we just brought 2 new girls home and their proximity definitely stressed our 4 girls out..... so she didn't lay today. Might that be causing her discomfort?

2) Yesterday I discovered that she loves maple seeds.... you know those little helicopter seed pods that fall off maples? I opened them up and she scarfed the seeds. Is it possible they are poisonous, neurotoxic in some way?

3) Could she just have jumped down and landed wrong and injured herself?

Waaaaaa!!!!! I don't want to see any of the girls hurt/sad/stressed. Does anyone have any thoughts??

Stacey

 

[SeaChick]

OK, I found "maple seeds and young plants" listed on a poisonous-to-children page.... but then also this on a bird page:

One toxicologist wrote that "Maple seeds and sugar-rich young leaves are edible except to horses. Wilted and dry, not FRESH, maple leaves produce an oxidant which has caused hemolytic anemia, renal failure, pulmonary edema and death in horses."

and then on a website about eating wild food, in the non-toxic list "maple seeds and young leaves"

sheesh!​

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I have no advice, just wanted to give sympathy. :aww

Sometimes, we don't have any problems and sometimes we have way too many. Not a chicken remark, more about life in general. I'm sorry you are having more problems. At this point, I would just keep an eye on her.

 

[Mareloo]

My one rooster is much larger than any hen I have. I am careful to monitor any hen that is with him in the same coop. Some can take his weight, some cant. Some can for a wile, then stop all together. It isn't unusual to see a hen limping that was in the same coop as him. I remove them and they are perfect again after about 3 days..

Hope this little tale help you find your cause.

Good luck.

 

[dlhunicorn]

You may never know for sure what has caused this... (pigging out on anything is a bad thing)
I would separate her and ensure she has no access to suspect foods and to give her rest (limit movement and stress factors) in case she has had some kind of injury or sprain and this way you can monitor her progress much better.

 

[Frozen Feathers]

Sorry to hear you are having issues.

To find out if she is egg bound, feel her abdomen, compare it with another girl you know has laid an egg. Do you feel something hard or a difference?

Chickens usually don't eat things that are poisonous to them. I have seen my birds eat the maple seeds and have never had an issue. My goat eats maple leaves like they are going out of style..well they are for this season...but you know what I mean, so they can't be that bad. I would worry about Oak, as it does have arsenic.

It is most likely she jumped off something and hurt herself. It happens, chickens are not the most graceful animals and have a hard time judging distances sometimes. Is she eating and drinking or is she puffed up and just standing there? Check her foot. Does it look swollen? If it does she could have bumble foot.

 

[SeaChick]

Hi Angie-
She's behaving perfectly normally other than the limp, and the foot and leg look perfectly fine. I also felt her abdomens and Rita's (who'd just laid) and it felt OK. She's a big wide girl, so she felt a little different, but I certainly didn't feel anything big and hard there. I'm sure you're right and she just sprained it. I'll keep a close eye on her and see how she is tomorow.
Thanks-
Stacey

 

[Buff Hooligans]

You know, she just may be workin' you for extra grapes. Your pullets are practically celebrities, and they have to keep doing things to keep the treats and paparazzi coming.

Honestly, she probably just pulled something and will be okay as long as she rests. It always hurts to see your "in trouble" posts. We all truly want to see your chickens thrive and your daughter happy. I hope nothing else troublesome happens for a long, long, long time! Best wishes!

 

[verthandi]

If you are not seeing any injury to the bottom of her foot, she probably just hopped down off something the wrong way. Aspirin in the water maybe for a couple of days?

I don't know about chickens, but red maple leaves are toxic to horses. These are from the trees that turn brightest red in the fall, not the ornamental red maples.

 

[xke4]

I have tons of maples and keys and until the coyotes terrorized my chickens, they free-ranged for years and I'm sure gobbled up many maple keys in the process with no ill effects. I do remember that the native "Red Maple" ( it has green leaves remember, not the dark maroon leaf of the Norway maple "Crimson King" etc)
was toxic to horses back when I had my quarter horse.