Bought a hen at auction with thickened upper legs walks "goose step"

[cindyschicks]

Stumpy came from a livestock auction with her siblings. She was one of my first forays into chickens. I noticed in the beginning that her upper legs were thickened and that she walked rather stiff legged. About two weeks after getting her I went out to feed in the morning as usual and saw that both of her lower legs had died completely overnight. Something somehow cut off the circulation to her lower legs. She was otherwise healthy and by the end of that day had pecked her leg off. I had moved her to a soft bed in isolation and she removed both of her legs and now gets around on her stumps just fine.

My only other choice had been to euthanize her, but she seemed healthy otherwise. I have been trying to figure out what could have happened to her. Does anyone have any ideas.

At first I thought maybe she had leg bands on but both legs at the same place high up.

 

[Mrs.Puff]

Frostbite. Or maybe in taking her to auction the owners tied her up by the legs. Gout can also cause leg swelling, but I've never actually seen it and never heard of legs rotting off.

 

[cindyschicks]

Stumpys legs didn't so much rot off as one morning they were just dead, like from lack of circulation. So something constricted the blood flow but it happened so quickly, she was walking funny and stiff legged, we had been watching her because of that, but then the next morning I went out to feed she was sitting on the ground like she was sitting eggs and her legs were black and useless.

 

[Mrs.Puff]

I really bet it was frostbite. The flesh starts out being white, which might be hard to see on the feet, and eventually it's black. And frostbite causes swelling. Maybe the swelling was b/c the bloodflow was all messed up due to the feet being frozen. I can't imagine a chicken without feet being able to walk around! Does she lay eggs like that? Can you post a photo? That is truly amazing.

 

[Terri O]

That is just what happened to CHarlie! He got totally frozen legs 3 years ago and all of a sudden his legs were black. THey slowly came off and he walked about on his stubs for 3 years, spending the winters in the house in a kennel. He was a great bird. Sadly he developed an infection and was gone in three days. (RIP Charlie)
You might want to check out the pictures of chicken "boots" on here. Not sure where I saw them. I wished I had made some for Charlie; maybe he wouldnt have gotten that infection. Terri O