bad leg...

[Necklace]

My hen had a clutch of 6 babies... only one turned out to be a rooster thank goodness... but he has a bad foot.. since he was little his foot always curls under him when he walks.. it is almost like he is walking on a stump for that leg... he gets around great.. he is about 8 months old... has not started crowing and his tail is still growing... I live in Tampa, FL so we have been getting a lot of rain and I let them free range.. but last night he did not show up in the pen for bed..

I found him this morning in the neighbors yard stuck.. I went over to get him but he kept running from me... I finally got close enough to grab him by his tail then get control of the wings before I picked him up...

in all this mess... I think it might have hurt his leg more... when he walks on it.... it almost looks like it gives on him and he has been doing a lot of sitting out in the open yard.. he is usually running around with the others... and hiding. I have never had him stay so still for so long... he just sits there...

I am hopping it will get better but if it does not he is going to be free game for the rest of the birds.....

if it does not get better I really don't want to but what is the best least painful way of putting him down... before he was getting around but if he stops doing even that then I don't know any other thing to do then to let him go...

any opinions or suggestions would be great...

 

[Eggcessive]

Put some poultry vitamins or a vitamin B complex tablet in his water or food daily. Make sure that they contain riboflavin, since riboflavin deficiency can cause curled toe paralysis. The sooner it is treated the better the chances that it does not become permanent. Most chickens can get along well enough, even with a bum foot, but every situation if different. Here are some threads about euthanizing chickens:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/506654/method-for-euthanizing-chickens
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/208641/how-to-humanely-euthanize-a-chicken
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/529715/easiest-most-humane-method-to-cull-euthanize

Here is another about riboflavin deficiency:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/217/vitamin-b2-deficiency/

 

[Necklace]

is the vitamin safe for the other chickens or do I need to keep him separate from them? I would like to try any option other then letting him go.... get to attached to them all... had one die a few weeks ago from being egg-bound she lived a good 4 years ..

 

[Eggcessive]

Vitamins are safe for all.