Bad Limp...Serious?

[lizardboy55]

Good Evening All,

My one year old Amberlink Hen has a bad limp. She cannot get up and down the ladder to get into the coop and the run. She gets down but by hopping. I realized this tonight around 6:15 and it is currently 10:15pm. She was not able to get on the perch to sleep. I'm not too concerned but yet I am. I'm just curious to know if I should keep her in one spot so she does not go up and down the ladder and hurt herself more.

Thank You!


Her On The Floor Sleeping


She Is Eating, Her Neck Is Fine.

***The Girls Tend To Spill All Their Food On The Floor***

 

[Eggcessive]

Her leg could be sprained or even broken. Look her over for any swelling or redness that could affect her feet, joints, or legs, and especially for a dark spot on the footpad that could be bumblefoot. How high are your roosts, and how high and steep is the ladder? Some people use tree stumps of differing heights to get up and down to the coop which the chickens jump up on. I would force her to rest her leg in a cage with food and water, and leave her with her flock, at least during the daytime. Poultry vitamins in the water, including the B vitamins would also be good.

 

[circesfire]

I would check to see what is wrong with her leg first. If it is broken you will probably need to put a splint on it. If it is just sprained it will probably heal by itself, but confining her to limit movement would be best. Also like the previous poster suggested - check for bumblefoot (this usually presents as a swollen foot pad with a dark scab in the center).

 

[chicknmania]

Definitely force rest and B vitamins are good suggestions. Rooster /booster sells B & K Liquid Vitamin concentrate, I really like that stuff because I can see results using it on sick or injured birds, and it is not expensive. A little goes a long way.

If you Don't see any pain or swelling or feel heat,, feel up where the hip joins the rest of the bird's body, sometimes hips can get dislocated. Scaly leg mites can cause severe lameness, so look for signs of those.(protruding scales, weird looking growths on the legs and feet) Illnesses such as Marek's disease or Avian TB can cause severe lameness with no heat, swelling, or any signs of injury in the affected limb. So watch for sleepiness during the day, lethargy, drooping wings, poor appetite, paralysis, which could be signs of Marek's. Avian TB is almost always characterized by white diarhea stuck to the feathers, lameness, and lethargy (and it's not a common illness ime) Lastly, check the bottoms of her feet for cuts, bumps, or anything strange looking...which could be Bumblefoot, or even a broken or over long claw.

All that being said, it probably IS just a sprain.

Just telling you about the other things it COULD be. It's not going to get better if she runs and jumps on it all the time, and unfortunately, it's not a quick heal in most cases. Rest and a baby aspirin crushed up in a treat two or three times a day helps speed things along, as well as the vitamins.

 

[lizardboy55]

Thank you all so much! I separated her but she is still with the flock. They cant get to her but she will be well rested. Ill put electrolytes into her water. Thank you all for the help! Ill check for swelling and keep you all updated! Thank you all!

 

[cotoletta]

Hi lizardboy55 - I have the exact same problem with my bantam. Please do keep the thread updated as I am interested how this turns out. I've taken the advice from above too and hoping my little lady will be okay. Hope your girl gets better very soon

 

[chicknmania]

Lameness seems to be really common in chickens and usually it sorts itself out eventually. Our one hen has been lame for weeks, she had bad scaly leg mites. She is slowly recovering but it's just taking forever. She was in a small "rest" pen for six weeks, now she's in a tractor during the day so she can exercise and strengthen her leg. She returns to her small pen at night and during the early morning hours. Since she's been rehabbing it, she's been improving a bit faster.

 

[lizardboy55]

Hi lizardboy55 - I have the exact same problem with my bantam. Please do keep the thread updated as I am interested how this turns out. I've taken the advice from above too and hoping my little lady will be okay. Hope your girl gets better very soon

I will! She is doing a little better. She can stand now on her own and walk six steps instead of two She is clean of any bumble foot. I compared her good leg to her bad and the bad one is a little solen north to south, normal east to west, it is only her thigh not her leg. I hope this means it is just sprained. She does have electrolytes. Thank you all again for your help!

 

[lizardboy55]

She Perched!

I took her off so she wouldn't hurt herself even more when she jumped down. She is sound asleep on the floor right now! She is such a sweetie!

 

[lizardboy55]

Thank you everyone for your help! We are truly a family here! She is all better and back to laying her big, beautiful, chocolate speckled delicious farm fresh eggs!